2wheels wrote: Wonder where the construction money is coming from?
Highway on track to link northern provinces
A 52-km new highway linking Xayaboury's Ngeun district with Pakbaeng district in Oudomxay province will be ready for use by 2009.
The project will involve the construction of 16 bridges and a drainage system, with the first six kilometres of asphalt to be laid in Ngeun district in January, said the deputy director of the project, Mr Ardnada Boulom, yesterday.
He said they were not anticipating any problems and expected the road to be finished on time, making travel between the neighbouring provinces much easier.
Surveys for the road were conducted from 1999 to 2004, and the Lao and Thai governments are now working together to build the new highway.
The Thai government provided a budget of more than 4 billion kip (more than US$400,000) to fund the survey, said the director of the project, Mr Vanheuang Chanthasan.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport has received a loan of more than 150 billion kip (more than US$16 million) from the Thai government to carry out the project.
The Thai government has also provided more than 60 billion kip (more than US$6 million) to finance construction of the road.
Mr Vaneheuang said the road was being built to enable travel during the rainy season, when the existing road was often impassable to vehicles trying to reach villages in these two districts.
He said that once the road was built it would help to improve the living conditions of local people, as it would allow them to transport their goods to sell at markets, boosting their income.
The residents of these districts are mostly farmers and grow many kinds of crops, including rice and ginger, as well as raising livestock.
Once the road is complete, the country will have another road that can support trucks weighing up to 9.1 tonnes. The work comes with 20 years of guaranteed use and checkpoints to ensure that trucks are not overweight, said Mr Vanheuang.
The planned asphalt road should allow people to earn more by selling and exporting their goods, as they will be able to increase the quantity and quality of production, explained the project director.
By Meuangkham Noradeth
Source: I guess Vientiane Times - don't remember anymore