Dated January 30, 2019 The Lampang Mechanical Equipment Center is a project assisted by Australia under the Colombo Plan. It was established in October 1975 to construct Highway No. 11, Lampang - Den Chai section, and to train various levels of Highway Department officials in new knowledge and experience regarding road construction in steep mountainous terrain. The Thai and Australian governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding concerning the Lampang Mechanical Equipment Center project on February 17, 1977. The road is 77 kilometers long, construction began in November 1975 and was completed in 1982. It was built to F3 standard with a 6.00-meter wide asphalt surface and 2.00-meter wide shoulders on each side. The total construction cost was 497,000,000 baht, funded by the Australian government. The assistance provided amounts to AUD 9,000,000 (approximately 203,000,000 THB), with the Thai government contributing an additional 294,000,000 THB. The assistance from Australia covers the selection of construction routes, surveying, design, and construction. This excludes the design of bridges and one railway overpass, but includes soil surveys for the foundations of all bridge construction sites. This assistance will be similar to that previously provided to the Lom Sak Mechanical Engineering Center, with Australian experts collaborating with Thai engineers in various aspects such as design, construction, and management. In addition, the Australian government will provide machinery and spare parts. The Thai side will be responsible for providing all other necessary resources for the project. In the past, Australia has assisted Thailand in the construction of several roads, beginning in 1962 with the establishment of the Khon Kaen Mechanical Engineering Center. To construct the Khon Kaen – Yang Talat road, a distance of 59 kilometers, and other roads totaling approximately 170 kilometers, Australian government provided 70,000,000 baht in aid, with the Thai government contributing an additional 66,000,000 baht. Later, in 1966, after completing its mission at the Khon Kaen machine tool center, the Australian government turned its attention to establishing the Tak machine tool center to construct the Tak – Mae Sot road, which cut through steep mountainous terrain to the Burmese border, a distance of 87.5 kilometers. The aid was valued at 130,000,000 baht, with the Thai government contributing an additional 210,000,000 baht. The road construction was completed in early 1970. Later that same year, the Australian government began providing assistance in establishing the Lom Sak machine tool center. To construct the Lom Sak – Chum Phae road, a distance of 103.4 kilometers, assistance was provided valued at 164,000,000 baht, with an additional 366,000,000 baht contributed by Thailand. As the Lom Sak – Chum Phae road neared completion in 1975, the 4th Mechanical Engineering Center, under assistance from Australia, was established in Lampang Province to construct the Lampang – Den Chai road, which was completed. At that time, the Lampang Center was also undertaking three other sub-projects funded by the national budget: 1. The Phrae – Long – Wang Chin road, 75 kilometers long. 2. A short-distance asphalt paving project, the Mae Tha – Tha Chak road, 4 kilometers long. 3. A highway construction project for national security, the Serm Ngam – Na Phai – Mae Bon road, 20 kilometers long. The Lampang Road Construction Center established its office within the national forest reserve area. The center, authorized by the Forestry Department, occupies approximately 446 rai (about 196 hectares) at kilometer 19+600 of the Lampang-Den Chai road, Mae Tha Subdistrict, Mae Tha District, Lampang Province. It includes offices, a workshop, laboratories, various buildings, and housing for officials and staff of all levels. The construction cost was approximately 24 million baht. The center was officially opened by His Excellency Deputy Prime Minister General Boonchai Bamrungpong and His Excellency the Australian Ambassador, Mr. M.L. Johnston, on July 19, 1977. Currently, the Lampang Machine Tool Center has been renamed the Lampang Road Construction Center by a Departmental order dated June 24, 1985.