Australia to Finance Mekong Bridge

Australia will invest AUD160 million ($167.5 million) to help design and erect a new bridge spanning across one of two branches of the Mekong River at Cao Lanh in Dong Thap Province.It is part of the Central Mekong Delta Connectivity Project (CMDCP) over six years (2011-17).Alongside Australia, the Republic of Korea, the Asian Development Bank and the Vietnamese Government will be major financing partners for the project.This bridge aims to facilitate trade and economic growth in the Mekong Delta region of Viet Nam and link people and markets in the Mekong Delta to the rest of Southeast Asia and beyond.Cao Lanh Bridge, which represents the largest single Australian aid activity in mainland Southeast Asia, is a cable-stayed bridge with two sides of cable and four lanes for vehicles and two lanes for cart vehicles.The bridge will benefit five million people and is expected to deliver improved transport facilities to 170,000 daily road-users within five years of completion.It will bring new economic opportunities to areas that are isolated from major population centers and improve locals' access to basic social and health services.In addition, it will stimulate agricultural industries and facilitate private sector investment in the region.Once finished, the bridge will be 2km long, six lanes wide and will sit 37.5 meters above the Mekong River.The project comprises two high cable-stay bridges with a combined length of 5,000 meters as well as 25 kilometers of connecting roads.The two bridges will replace slow and inefficient ferry services at the Cao Lanh crossing over the Tien (Anterior Mekong) River and a parallel crossing over the Hau (Posterior Mekong) River at Vam Cong.Construction of the project is expected to begin this year.Australian funding is focused on ensuring the bridge can withstand the impacts of natural disasters, and that any negative effects associated with the bridge's construction, such as increased transmission of HIV, are mitigated.The Mekong Delta is the third-largest industrial centre in Viet Nam and one of the most productive agricultural and aquaculture areas in the world.But the Delta's transport network needs a major upgrade to sustain economic growth, according to AusAID.Australia and Viet Nam are working together to improve transport infrastructure to reduce poverty and build new economic opportunities for the 18 million people living in the Mekong Delta.The project builds on Australia's support to poverty reduction and economic development in the Mekong Delta over the last 20 years.Australia also provided an ODA (Official Development Assistance) loan of AUD68 million ($71.2 million) for construction of My Thuan Bridge that links the Mekong provinces of Tien Giang and Vinh Long. More than 5 million vehicles a year cross the bridge. (Vietnam News Feb 5)