NA member asks govt to repair Road No. 13 North

A National Assembly for Luang Prabang province has asked the government to carry out repairs to Road No. 13 North, especially on the section between Kasy, Phoukhoun and Xieng Ngeun districts and the link to Road No. 7 leading to Xieng Khuang province.
Speaking at the debate session recently, Mr Sommaly Khamkeng said the road has become badly potholed due to the large number of trucks passing through.

A road in the north has become badly potholed due to the large number of trucks passing through. –Photo Laophattana

More and more heavily laden trucks are using this arterial road, he said, and if they become stuck and block the road, no other traffic can get through.
He asked the Ministry of Public Works and Transport to consider emergency solutions to road repairs so that travel between Vientiane and the northern provinces was not an obstacle course.
Minister of Public Works and Transport, Mr Ngampasong Muongmany, said the ministry had asked the contractor to carry out repairs so that the road was passable at all times.
However, this work has been delayed because of financial problems and maintenance issues.
“We are encouraging the weighing of trucks and are in the process of checking weighing scales with a view to modernising them,” Mr Ngampasong said.
The ministry is taking steps to tackle the problem of overweight trucks, which have caused severe damage to roads and bridges over past years, he added.
Meanwhile, the ministry is looking for a suitable location to build another weighing station.
Modernisation of the weighing system would ensure greater transparency, he said. Each truck’s weight would be automatically recorded and forwarded to the relevant central and provincial departments.
In the past year, truck weights have been recorded manually, triggering suspicions of loopholes for personal gain by officials in charge, which resulted in overweight trucks continuing to use and damage roads.
Overweight trucks are the main cause of damage to roads and bridges, which create problems for other road users.

By Times Reporter
 (Latest Update July 5, 2023)