Trakul Thotham said the start of construction would depend on the completion of the environmental impact assessment (EIA), Bernama news agency reported yesterday (June 13).
He was briefing visiting members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Wednesday in Sungai Kolok, reports the Bangkok Post.
They also visited the site of the present bridge connecting the district with Rantau Panjang in Kelantan state of Malaysia.
The provincial public relations office in Narathiwat reported the trip but made no mention of the construction date, saying only that new bridge would promote economic and tourism activities between the two neighbours.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said last week that the EIA is expected to be completed in September. The government has earmarked B160 million for the bridge project.
The new bridge crossing the Kolok River was first approved in 2009 to ease traffic on the existing bridge. It will be erected parallel to the present bridge, with a road surface about twice as large to better handle traffic flows.
The construction cost will be shared equally by the two countries.
In addition to visiting the bridge, OIC representatives toured Yala and Pattani provinces from Tuesday until yesterday.