Laos faces daunting challenge in road network upgrade
Laos faces daunting challenge in road network upgrade
Laos must produce a vast sum of money to upgrade its arterial roads so they conform to the Asean Highway (AH) standard and facilitate regional production networks, trade and investment, transport, and tourism.
“Laos has only two national roads that meet the Asean standard, while the other six will have to be upgraded,” Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport's Roads Department , Mr Ngampasong Muongmany, said on Monday.
The government plans to go ahead with the upgrade. “But we do not have enough financial support. In particular we need support from international financial organisations through long- term and low-interest loans or grants,” he said.
“However, we don't know how much the road upgrade will cost because it depends on the area in question and where and when the work will be done.”
The Roads Department reports that Laos has designated eight national roads as AH routes, covering a distance of over 2,810km.
Six of the roads are still only listed as Class IV grade under Asean standards. “We have to improve or upgrade these roads so they reach Class III in terms of the weight they can bear, as we agreed with other Asean countries,” Mr Ngampasong said.
Two of the routes are AH3 or Road No. R3 (225km) from Huayxai district in Bokeo province to the Boten area in Luang Namtha province at the Lao-Chinese border, and AH11 or Road No. 13S (853km) from the Presidential Palace in Vientiane to the Veunkham area at the Lao-Cambodian border.
Other routes are AH12 or Road No. 13N (660km) from the Presidential Palace to the Nateuy area in Luang Namtha province; AH13 or Road No. 2W.2E (340km) from Ngeun district in Xayaboury province to the Pang Hok border crossing between Phongsaly province and Vietnam; and AH15 or Road No. 8 (132km) from Pakkading district in Borikhamxay province to the Keoneua area at the Vietnamese border.
The other designated national roads are AH16 or Road No. 9 (242km) from the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge in Savannakhet province to the Laos-Vietnam border at Dansavan; AH13 or Road No. 12 (147km) from Thakhaek district in Khammuan province to the Kiewmou-ya border crossing into Vietnam; and AH132 or Road No. 18A/18B (217.9km) from Pathoumphon district in Champassak province to the Phoukeua border crossing between Attapeu province and Vietnam.
“At present only two of these roads - AH16 and AH3 - are regional transport routes because they can carry loads of 11 tonnes per axle as required under the Asean Class III standard,” Mr Ngampasong said.
The other roads, designated as Class IV, can only bear loads up to 8.2 tonnes to 9.1 tonnes per axle. “So they cannot be included in the AH network,” he added.
The Lao road network covers 45,800km. National roads extend for 7,370km, of which 2,810km is included in the Asean Highway network.
Asean nations, which combined have a total land area of around 4.4 million sq km, face challenges with regard to poor quality roads and incomplete road networks.
The Asean Highway Network (AHN) project is a flagship infrastructure project that seeks to bring connectivity across borders and confer many benefits, such as improved competitiveness of regional production networks, better trade and investment flows, and reductions in development gaps.
Asean leaders adopted the Master Plan on Asean Connectivity in October 2010, which identified the AHN project as one of 15 prioritised projects to bridge the connectivity gap within Asean.
The main objective of the Asean Highway Network is to create efficient, integrated, safe and environmentally sustainable regional land transport corridors linking all Asean member states and countries beyond.
Asean member states have been developing and upgrading various sections of the Aseann Highway Network as integral components of their national programmes.
