Vientiane highway (Road No.1) completed !

Road No. 1: highway to progress

Road No.1 officially opened this month, bringing both economic and health benefits to Vientiane residents; it is also a symbol of the cooperation between Laos and Japan .

Road users enjoy travelling in comfort on the new road financed by Japan .
The upgrade of the road includes a drainage system that the Ministry of Public Works and Transport believes will prevent flooding in the rainy season.

The installation of streetlights has also made a great difference to driving conditions in the city...more

The Lao government and people, especially Vientiane residents, are thankful the road has finally been completed, and travel around the city is now more comfortable and safer.

This project was of great importance, said the Project Coordinator of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Mr Dedsongkham Thammavong.

He said the reconstruction of the road with Japanese assistance was a significant contribution to the improvement of communication and transportation in Vientiane and in the region.

Mr Dedsongkham said the new road would provide both direct and indirect benefits to Laos . It would certainly improve conditions for people operating businesses along the road.

The road is 29 kilometres long and runs from the Sikhay junction to the Thanalaeng warehouse. Its reconstruction cost more than US$366 billion kip (about 4.645 billion yen).

The smooth, black-topped road has helped to improve the capital's image, especially as it is such a central part of the city, Mr Dedsongkham said.

It will enable Laos to become a more efficient transit country and provide more opportunities for people in the sub-region to engage in trade and tourism.

“As you know, the road will also support our efforts to reduce poverty. Better road access is central to realising the government's goal to eradicate basic poverty by 2010. With more roads, people living in the rural areas will be better able to improve their standard of living,” he said.

Japan has been a major donor to the development of road and bridge infrastructure in Laos .

Before the road was rebuilt, it regularly flooded outside Ongteu and Inpeng temples during the wet season.

“I am confident we will not have to suffer from flooding any more now that engineers have installed drains on either side of the road, leading to Hongxaeng and Hongpasak canals,” Mr Dedsongkham said.

It is anticipated that business along the road will boom and contribute to the country's socio-economic development.

According to Ministry of Public Works and Transport statistics for 2004, Laos has 31,209 km of roads, 8.6 percent more than in 2001.

The data shows that in 2005 there were 4,497 km of tarred roads, an increase of 4 percent. There were also 10,097 km of gravel roads, up 8.8 percent up, and 16,616 km of dirt roads, 11 percent less than previously.

The expansion of the road network has boosted the economy and helped to improve people's living conditions all around the country.

Roads enable the transport of farmers' crops and other goods to markets, and in this respect Road No. 13 is considered to be the backbone of the country.

All corners of the country are now being linked, with Roads 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 16, 18 and others becoming a part of this network.

All provinces have road access and there are now 125 roads accessing districts nationwide.

River communication has also improved, with the building of ports and embankments along the Mekong River in the north of the country, to facilitate river transportation through Laos , Thailand , Myanmar and China .

Vientiane residents believe that the good condition of the newly-finished road will also bring health benefits.

A resident of Saphanthong village in Sisattanak district, Mr Khamsone, said he was pleased to be able to travel on a smooth and clean road. He believed it would bring an end to flooding and would reduce the amount of dust blowing around.

The Deputy Director of the Ophthalmology Centre, Dr Siphetthavong Sisaleumsak, said that dust was a significant contributing factor to respiratory problems and eye diseases each year, especially conjunctivitis.

“Now that the road is properly surfaced, it should help to alleviate the problem,” he said.


By Xayxana Leukai
Vientianetimes