Laos is set to upgrade National Road No. 9 in Savannakhet Province, a key route connecting Laos, Thailand and Viet Nam.
The signing ceremony for the rehabilitation and maintenance projects took place on 20 October.
The project aims to improve road safety, durability, and regional connectivity, covering a 233-kilometers stretch from Dinosaur Roundabout in Kaysone Phomvihane City to the Laos-Viet Nam border in Xepon district.
Originally constructed in 1988, National Road No. 9 has undergone four rounds of rehabilitation, most recently between 2015 and 2018, with a design capacity of 11 tons per axle. However, increasing traffic volumes and insufficient annual maintenance budgets have led to deteriorating road conditions.
To address these challenges, the Lao government approved a rehabilitation initiative proposed by the State Enterprise Road No. 8 Construction Company, under a hybrid model combining the Output and Performance-Based Road Contract (OPBRC) and Performance-Based Routine Maintenance Contract (PRTC) approaches.
Upon completion, revenue will be collected from tolls on trucks over 12 tons at four stations along the route.
The project will span a 10-year period, including three years of rehabilitation and seven years of maintenance, at an estimated cost of LAK 3.23 trillion (approximately USD 148.7 million).
As one of the eight ASEAN Highways, National Road No. 9 serves as a critical regional transport artery, connecting Greater Mekong Subregion countries.
Source: The Laotian Times
