On 6 June 2025, a concrete-pouring ceremony was held at the midpoint of the Fifth Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, which connects Bueng Kan province in Thailand with Bolikhamxay province in Laos. The event marked a significant construction milestone, signaling the near-completion of a cross-border infrastructure project expected to open for public use in December 2025.
The bridge, officially titled the Fifth Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge (Bueng Kan–Bolikhamxay), is being constructed at a cost of 3.787 billion baht. The project is jointly financed by the governments of Thailand and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, with the Thai Department of Highways contributing 2.5 billion baht and the Lao side providing 1.287 billion baht. The initiative includes five construction contracts—three on the Thai side and two on the Lao side.
As of early June, construction progress on the Thai portion of the bridge had reached 98.23 percent. Following the concrete-pouring ceremony, remaining works will be expedited, including asphalt paving, installation of guardrails and signage, and road markings. The completed bridge will span 810 meters across the Mekong River and is designed as a prestressed concrete box-girder bridge with two traffic lanes.
The full project covers a distance of 16.34 kilometers, comprising 13.033 kilometers on the Thai side and 3.307 kilometers on the Lao side. On the Thai side, the route acts as a bypass around Bueng Kan city, connecting to a traffic-direction interchange and border checkpoint. The bridge links to Route 13 and Route 8 in Laos, facilitating travel to Vinh and Hanoi in Vietnam, and further north into China via ASEAN Highway 1 (AH1).
Upon its scheduled opening in December 2025, the bridge will begin collecting tolls based on vehicle type. Rates include 50 baht for cars with up to 7 seats, 100 to 200 baht for buses depending on size, and between 50 and 500 baht for freight vehicles based on axle count.
The ceremony was attended by Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Suriya Jungrungreangkit, and the Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Following the concrete pour, the two officials also signed an agreement covering ownership, usage, management, and maintenance of the bridge.