The widening and paving of a 7.8 km stretch of road in Sisattanak district is set to resume after a two year delay.
The first section of the road links Donnokkhoum, Sangveuy and Chomphet villages while the second section links Suanmone, Sangveuy and Dongsavath villages.
The project manager told Vientiane Times on Tuesday that the project began in 2012 and was scheduled to finish by April 2014, but by the end of 2013 the contracting company ran out of money.
The completion of the two remaining sections has been contracted out to the Asia Joint Development and Construction Company. The total cost of completing the project is an estimated 144 billion kip (about US$18 million).
About 60 percent of the project is complete. The contracting company confirmed they would resume work this month and expect to complete the project in 2017.
Three sections of the road have already been finished – the 4.8 km Donnokkhoum-Sangveuy-Chomphet section, the 2.5 km Dongsavath-Sangveuy section, and the 500m Suanmone-Sangveuy section.
The unfinished sections are only five to six metres wide and have dirt surfaces. As they are unsealed, they become very dusty in the dry season and muddy in the wet season, making travel difficult year round.
When the upgrades are complete, the entire stretch of road will be 11 metres wide and sealed with concrete. It will also have a proper drainage system, streetlights and traffic signs.
The purpose of the project is to improve the flow of people and goods between the villages by making transportation easier, reducing traffic congestion in the rush hour and lowering the number of road accidents.
The road will also offer a convenient shortcut for motorists travelling through the capital, allowing them to bypass some of the congestion in Vientiane.
Source: Vientiane Times
