The 2nd Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge is a large bridge crossing the Moei River, located on Highway No. 12 in Mae Sot District, Tak Province, and ending on the Myanmar side, connecting with Highway No. 6, the Myawaddy-Kawkareik route or the ASEAN Highway No.1 in Myawaddy town.
The bridge was constructed in a box girder style with prestressed concrete. The total length of the bridge is 760 meters, split into 515 meters on the Thai side and 245 meters on the Myanmar side. It does not have any piers in the middle of the river. The bridge has two lanes for two-way traffic, separated by a low concrete island. Each lane is 3.50 meters wide, with 2.50-meter-wide shoulders on both sides and 1.50-meter-wide pedestrian walkways on both sides.
The total budget for this project was 4,132 million baht, of which the Thai government generously donated 1,000 million baht to the Union Government of Myanmar for the construction of the bridge, roads, and border control buildings on the Myanmar side.
This bridge serves as a land transportation linkage in the East-West Economic Corridor, facilitating the transportation of goods, travel, tourism, and boosting the potential of trade and investment between Thailand and the Union of Myanmar, as well as countries in the Mekong sub-region.
The project was approved in principle by the Thai Cabinet in 2009, and the official opening ceremony of the bridge took place on October 30, 2019.
Mae Sot and Myawaddy are significant border towns for both countries, with trade volumes accounting for more than 35% of the border trade, worth up to 2.3 billion US dollars. The governments of both countries have a policy to develop and connect border towns and have made agreements on the construction of Highway No. 130 (the bypass of Mae Sot) and the construction of the Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, as well as the construction of border control buildings on both sides, including operational guidelines.
Source: Department of Highways
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