Over 60 percent of Tanmixay-Sikeuth road upgrade completed

The contractor rebuilding the 9.4-km road running from Tanmixay crossroads in Xaythany district to Sikeuth junction in Naxaithong district of Vientiane has confirmed the work will be completed by the end of this year.
However, many people living along this road have called on the contractor to speed up the work, saying they are facing difficulties due to its condition. They have also said it will be a problem using the road during the ongoing rainy season.

They will have to contend with terrible potholes, the local residents have said.
Consulting Project Director, Mr Sompasong Chanthavong, told Vientiane Times yesterday that the project is now 62.53 percent complete and the workers are speeding up the construction so that the road is upgraded by the end of this year.
“We are repairing the road surface to make life easier for motorists. The workers are continuing with the laying of concrete in the stretch from Somket to Nongphaya villages. The laying of concrete is now 55.81 percent complete,” he said. The project to improve and widen the road began in October 2016, and was originally scheduled to be completed in October last year. The work was partly delayed due to financial difficulties.
At the beginning of this year, the agreement for the project was extended by nine months since it was running behind schedule.
It also took longer than expected to remove all the obstacles impeding construction, take out electricity cables and negotiate with people living along the road, according to an official in-charge of the work.
The upgrade will cost US$45.1 million (about 367 billion kip, including interest).
Tangchaleun Group Co; Ltd is paying the total construction cost upfront and the government will repay the firm over seven years, with an annual interest rate of 3.5 percent. The completed road will be 28 metres wide and have six lanes, a median strip, pavements and drainage. Traffic lights will also be installed.
When finished, the road will improve conditions for local vendors and residents. It connects Road No 13 North, 450 Road and Kaysone Phomvihane Avenue via the National University of Laos.

By Phomphong Laoin
(Latest Update June 21, 2019)