Upgrade of Road No. 13 North underway

Road No. 13 North is being upgraded in some places with concrete being laid to replace the existing asphalt surface, while the section between Vientiane and Vientiane province will be widened to a four-lane highway.
Project head Mr Latsamy Aliyavongsing told Vientiane Times on Tuesday the upgrade is taking place over a distance of 58km between the Sikeuth junction in Vientiane and Phonhong district in Vientiane province.
The 20km section of road between the Sikeuth junction and Songpeuy village will have four lanes, while the 38km section between the Songpeuy area and Phonhong district will remain a two-lane road.

“The upgrade will take three years and we have already been working on it for about a year,” Mr Latsamy said.
Work had sometimes been delayed to allow construction of the Laos-China railway to go ahead.
Road No. 13 North is a national artery and needs to be constantly maintained and improved.
Following completion of the current upgrade, the rest of the road leading to Vangvieng district in Vientiane province will also be surfaced with concrete.
For many years the road was the only route north but drivers now have the option of using the newly opened Vientiane-Vangvieng expressway, which has become the route of choice.
However, the fees to travel on the tollway have been the subject of complaints by motorists, who say they are too high.
Most people choose to use the expressway because they want to reach their destination quickly or simply because it is new and offers a different experience.
Mr Latsamy said Road No. 13 North had not fallen out of use as claimed by some people on social media but was used by a large number of trucks and ordinary passenger vehicles.
Road No. 13 North runs from the Sikeuth junction in Vientiane to the bus station in Vangvieng district, a distance of 142 kilometres.
Previously, the poor condition of this road deterred some people from using it as the numerous potholes made for a very uncomfortable ride.
Every year roads and bridges around the country are damaged by floods and landslides as a result of torrential rain.
Roads also rapidly deteriorate due to frequent use by heavy trucks carrying timber, cement, rocks and other loads.
According to Vientiane province’s Public Works and Transport Department, Road No. 13 North breaks up because it was originally built to carry loads of 9 tonnes per axle, but many trucks carry heavier loads.

By Khonesavanh Latsaphao
(Latest Update January 6, 2021)