The Ministry of Public Works and Transport on Wednesday launched an initiative to improve transport, connectivity, climate resilience, and east-west regional trade across the north of the country.
The Southeast Asia Regional Economic Corridor and Connectivity Project is backed by World Bank financing and is designed to help people in the northern provinces benefit from expanding regional trade and transport connections.
The project was designed to complement the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Master Plan on Connectivity. The new project will upgrade Lao National Road 2 connecting Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, thus building an east-west corridor that links with existing north-south routes in mainland Southeast Asia.
The upgraded road’s design will protect it from storms, floods, and landslides which are becoming more frequent because of climate change.
Other activities include the development of dry ports, marketplaces, trucking terminals, and locations where farmers can bring their produce for transport to national and foreign markets. A major aim is to improve the ability of local smallholders to market goods that can be traded via the new transport networks.
“We are seeing dramatic improvements in the transport infrastructure running from the north to the central part of the country.”
“However, without local connections to these and other trade routes, most people in the provinces will not be able to take advantage of these new facilities. This is therefore an essential investment in our future,” said Mr. Viengsavath Siphandone, Minister of Public Works and Transport.
Read more: LaoTianTimes
October 03, 2022
