Construction of inner city bus station delayed
Construction of inner city bus station delayed
The construction of the inner city bus station near the Morning Market in central Vientiane has run into delays due to problems related to the relocation of traders and clearance of the site.
Director General of the State Bus Company Khamphoun Temalat told Vientiane Times yesterday that they were building a temporary station in an area near the existing si te to continue offering bus services for people and facilitate construction activities.
“I think that the relocation of traders and clearance of the site will s oon be completed pending the decision to be made by Vientiane Mayor,” he said, adding that the construction of the new city bus station is expected to begin in the middle of the year.
Vientiane authorities signed an agreement with Chitchareun Construction Company in June last year, allo wing the company to develop the US$47.5 million (about 38 billion kip)city bus station to provide better facilities for public transport users.
Mr Khamphoun said the project was supposed to commence construction in January but has experienced delays with the clearance of the site however he was confident that from now on the project will move forwards as planned.
Located on the same site in Nongchan village in Vientiane's Chanthabouly district, the project will include a 12-storey building housing a shopping centre, offices for rent and parking areas designed to deal with the parking crisis in the capital.
The project will cover an area of 7,632 square metres and construction is scheduled for completion in 2017 with a concession period of 70 years that can be extended for another period depending on the government's approval.
The project will proceed in two pha ses. The first phase will include removing barriers, allocation of the temporary bus station and detailed project design. The second phase is the project construction proper.
Director of Chitchareun Construction Company Mr Somvang Vongvilay told Vientiane Times recently that half of the 12-storey building is designed for parking space, aiming to respond to the growing number of vehicles in the capital.
The inner city bus station was built several decades ago and the authorities decided that it is now dilapidated and does not provide enough facilities to serve the general public.
Vientiane has a population of about 800,000 people and the number of vehicles in the capital has jumped to over 600,000. Of the total, motorcycles accounted for about 50 percent of that figure.
Many people park their vehicles on roadsides and sidewalks, which has led to frustration and a barrage of complaints from the public.
The fact is that it's difficult for the existing bus station to provide parking space for buses and other facilities for users. The project will contribute to minimising the parking problem in Vientiane.
Based on the initial project design, the bus station is quite modern with facilities in place to serve the public.
The project will include grass lawns and decorative flower beds. Meanwhile various shops will be allocated in a better order. The temporary bus station will be located along Khouvieng Road and a road near the Morning Market.
The authorities accepted that the traffic situation will be quite complicated during the construction period and urged the public to be patient, saying that the development is aimed to serve the interests of the people.
