Illustrative image (Source: VNA)Laos has embarked on the construction of a key highway connecting Vientiane with Pakse township, Champassak province.
The Vientiane – Pakxan section of the highway is also a part of the highway from Vientiane to Vietnam’s capital Hanoi.
The Vientiane Times on June 2 quoted an official from the Lao Ministry of Public Works and Transport as saying that six companies, including four foreign and two domestic ones, have been shortlisted to bid for the development of the planned highway linking Vientiane with Pakse, an economic hub in southern Laos.
They are given 45 days beginning from June 30 to prepare their bids for the project, including conceptual design and technical standards to submit to Lao authorities in charge of the project. They also need to submit financial situation certificate, said the official.
As planned, the highway will be 585km long, 23m wide with four lanes, each 3.5m wide, meeting ASEAN highway standard, Class 1.
Laos is pursuing ambitious plans to develop its road infrastructure to connect with regional countries with the aim of turning the land-locked country into a hub of connection.
In late May, the Lao government approved the 113.7km Vientiane-Vangvieng highway, which is part of the Vientiane-Boten expressway linking the Lao capital with northern Luang Namtha province that shares a borderline with China.
A number of railway projects have been in the work to connect Laos with its neighbours, including the one between Vientiane and Chinese border./.