Bukit Bunga–Ban Buketa Bridge (Malay: Jambatan Bukit Bunga–Ban Buketa, Thai: สะพานบูเก๊ะตา) is a bridge crossing the Kolok River (Malay: Sungai Golok) at the Malaysia–Thailand border, connecting Bukit Bunga town in Kelantan with Buketa village in Waeng District, Narathiwat Province, Thailand.[1] It is the newest[when?] border crossing between Malaysia and Thailand and the third bridge crossing the Kolok river. The bridge was one of the co-operative projects under the framework of the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT).
Bukit Bunga–Ban Buketa Bridge Jambatan Persahabatan สะพานมิตรภาพ | |
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Coordinates | 5°50′20″N 101°53′33″E / 5.8389°N 101.8924°E |
Carries | Motor vehicles |
Crosses | Kolok River, Malaysia-Thailand Border |
Locale | Bukit Bunga, Kelantan |
Official name | Friendship Bridge |
Characteristics | |
Design | Box girder bridge |
Total length | 120 m |
Width | 16.9 m |
History | |
Opened | 21 December 2007 |
Location | |
The project, costing RM9.2 million with each both governments paying half, was given to a Malaysian contractor. The groundbreaking for the bridge was held on 14 October 2004 by the prime ministers of both countries. Construction was delayed, especially on the Thai side, with escalations in the insurgency in nearby Thai provinces, and it took 11 months of work to be completed 3 years later. It was officially opened on 21 December 2007 by the Malaysian prime minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and the Thai prime minister, Surayud Chulanont.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Friendship Bridge Linking Thailand and Malaysia". Thailand: The Government Public Relations Department. Archived from the original on 17 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
- ^ "The Official Opening Ceremony of the Second Bridge Crossing the Kolok River" (Press release). Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand. 21 December 2007. Archived from the original on 27 December 2007. Retrieved 4 January 2008.
- "Construction of additional bridge between Malaysia, Thailand to start next year". Astro Awani. Bernama. 26 April 2015. Archived from the original on 17 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.