KOICA grants US$13m for upgrade of national road No. 8

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Office in Laos and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport on October 21 signed a Record of Discussion on the ‘Upgrading 6 Bridges and Road Safety on National Road No. 8 (Asian Highway 15) project’.
According to the KOICA Office in Laos, the project will run from 2021 to 2023, for which KOICA will provide grant aid of US$13 million.

The Record of Discussion was signed online by the Acting Country Director of the KOICA Office in Laos, Mr Sangjun Kim, Director General of the Department of Roads, Mr Litta Khattiya, and Director General of the Department of Transport at the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Mr Bounta Onnavong.
National Road No. 8 links Road 13 South in Borikhamxay province to the Laos-Vietnam border over a distance of 132km.
From 2016 to 2018, the KOICA office in Laos undertook a feasibility study of the project to upgrade national road No. 8 on the Asian Highway Network (AH15) in cooperation with the Department of Roads, which provided US$3.5 million. The feasibility study was completed and yielded comprehensively good results.
The project aims to upgrade six bridges to improve their safety to the level of Asian Highway Class II and enhance connectivity between Laos and neighbouring Vietnam and Thailand, as well as connectivity nationwide.
It will also strengthen the capacities of government officials in the public works and transport sector through the transfer of Korea’s advanced technological skills including bridge maintenance and Road Safety Audit.
Director General of the Department of Roads, Mr Litta Khattiya, representing the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, said “I would like to thank KOICA for the financial support through this project. Road No. 8 is a top priority project of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and connects to Asian Highway 15.”
“The Ministry of Public Works and Transport wants to upgrade this road to Asian standards to link with the Asian Highway network. This will cut the cost of logistics and enhance the safety of road users, especially the women and children who live along Road No. 8.”
The KOICA Office in Laos believes this project will help improve accessibility to neighbouring countries and solve logistical problems on Road No. 8. Local residents and authorities will benefit from this project through their use of the upgraded road and learning about traffic safety.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update November 3, 2021)