New riverside road planned for Vientiane

A new road is to be built alongside the Mekong River in Vientiane , running 2.9km from Pakpasak Technical School in Chanthabouly district to Thatkhao village in Sisattanak district.

The Mekong River Integrated Management project under the Ministry of Public Works and Transport plans to start work on the road at the beginning of next year.

Project coordinator Mong Bouapinh said on Monday “We're building the road to help prevent erosion of the riverbank.”

The road will be 7 metres wide and will have streetlights and a footpath.

It is expected to be finished before the 450th anniversary celebrations of Vientiane as the capital of Laos , in 2010, Mr Mong said.

Engineering plans were submitted to the government for its approval. The new road will be on the same level as the existing embankment so it will be higher than Fa-ngum Road , he added.

He said once the road was in place it would help to prevent erosion and flooding in the rainy season and add to the overall attractiveness of Vientiane .

“We can't give the exact cost of the project because it's part of a larger plan to build a riverside embankment, park and landscaping under the Mekong River Integrated Management project,” Mr Mong said.

This includes the construction of a 12.2km embankment from Nonkeo village in Sikhottabong district to the Australian Embassy Recreational Club in Sisattanak district.

The project is funded by a loan from the Republic of Korea 's Economic Development Cooperation Fund with an annual interest rate of 0.5 percent over 30 years. The loan is for more than 300 billion kip (about US$37 million) and the Lao government will contribute an additional 100 billion kip (about US$11 million).

The total cost of the project is 400 billion kip (US$49 million).

By Meuangkham Noradeth
(Latest Update October 7, 2008)