24 July

The new Naung Lone Bridge in Hpa-an Township, Kayin State, has made travel in the region smoother and more efficient since its completion on 5 June 2020. The bridge is 400 feet long and 56 feet wide, 48 feet for the main road and 3 feet on each side for the pedestrian path. 

Special Bridge Unit 14 of the Ministry of Construction began working on the bridge on 1 June 2017 and total construction expense amounted to K2,900 million from 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 financial years.

The accompanying road to the bridge is 573.63 metres long and 14.64 metres wide and all related processes in its construction and compensation for farmland relocated in the process amounted to K475.6 million from the Kayin State government’s fund. Construction was carried out by Lin Ngwe Yaung company and overseen by the Road Department. Over K16 million was compensated to 8 local residents at a rate of K4 million per acre of farmland and K20 million per acre of park grounds. Naung Lone Bridge is located on the Hpa-an-Naung Lone-Gyaing section of the Union Highway and used to be only 17 feet wide and devoid of maintenance for some time, thus making it unsafe for cargo trucks and large vehicles.

U Kyi Lwin, head of Hpa-an’s Road Department, said about 2,700 vehicles pass through this section of the Union Highway every day. He said the former bridge was too small to accommodate more than one large vehicle at a time so they had to take turns to cross the bridge. But now with the new bridge, cargo trucks, passenger buses and all sorts of vehicles can use the bridge safely at the same time.

Saw Myo Min Thein (IPRD) (Translated by Zaw Htet Oo)