Vientiane (VNA) – Laoshas embarked on the construction of a key highway connecting Vientiane withPakse township, Champassak province.
The Vientiane – Pakxan section ofthe highway is also a part of the highway from Vientiane to Vietnam’s capitalHanoi.
The Vientiane Times on June 2quoted an official from the Lao Ministry of Public Works and Transport assaying that six companies, including four foreign and two domestic ones, havebeen shortlisted to bid for the development of the planned highway linking Vientianewith Pakse, an economic hub in southern Laos.
They are given 45 days beginningfrom June 30 to prepare their bids for the project, including conceptual designand technical standards to submit to Lao authorities in charge of the project. Theyalso need to submit financial situation certificate, said the official.
As planned, the highway will be585km long, 23m wide with four lanes, each 3.5m wide, meeting ASEAN highwaystandard, Class 1.
Laos is pursuing ambitious plansto develop its road infrastructure to connect with regional countries with theaim of turning the land-locked country into a hub of connection.
In late May, the Lao governmentapproved the 113.7km Vientiane-Vangvieng highway, which is part of theVientiane-Boten expressway linking the Lao capital with northern Luang Namtha province that shares a borderline withChina.
A number of railway projects havebeen in the work to connect Laos with its neighbours, including the one betweenVientiane and Chinese border.-VNA
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Illustrative image (Source: VNA) 
