Australia will invest 160 million AUD (167.5 million USD) to helpdesign and erect a new bridge spanning across one of two branches of theMekong 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 AsianDevelopment Bank and the Vietnamese Government will be major financingpartners for the project.

This bridge aims to facilitatetrade and economic growth in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam andlink people and markets in the Mekong Delta to the rest of SoutheastAsia and beyond.

Cao Lanh Bridge, which representsthe largest single Australian aid activity in mainland Southeast Asia,is a cable-stayed bridge with two sides of cable and four lanes forvehicles and two lanes for cart vehicles.

The bridge willbenefit five million people and is expected to deliver improvedtransport facilities to 170,000 daily road-users within five years ofcompletion.

It will bring new economic opportunities to areasthat are isolated from major population centres 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 metres above the Mekong River.

The project comprises two high cable-stay bridges with a combinedlength of 5,000 metres as well as 25 kilometres of connecting roads.

The two bridges will replace slow and inefficient ferry servicesat the Cao Lanh crossing over the Tien (Anterior Mekong) River and aparallel crossing over the Hau (Posterior Mekong) River at Vam Cong.
Construction of the project is expected to begin this year.-VNA