Historic passage to receive facelift

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Rik Ponne

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Jul 16, 2010, 12:22:14 AM7/16/10

to lao...@googlegroups.com, Kirsten Focken

Historic passage to receive facelift

Meuangkham Noradeth

The Somphasert Development and Construction Company will build a concrete road running between That Luang and Viengchalern villages in Xaysettha district of Vientiane.

The Vientiane Public Works and Transport Department initially contracted the company to spend more than 10 billion kip on asphalting the road, but has now decided the road must be surfaced with concrete, at an additional cost, said project head Mr Khambai Onxayvieng on Wednesday.

The additional cost of the concrete surfacing is estimated to be 30 percent of the initial total construction cost.

The government has permitted the private company to invest in construction of the road and will repay the construction cost over a five-year period after its completion. A groundbreaking

ceremony to mark the commencement of the project will be held next week, and construction is scheduled to be complete ahead of celebrations to mark the 450^th anniversary of Vientiane as the capital of Laos in November, Mr Khambai said.

The road will be about 450 metres in length and 21m wide, with four lanes, drainage on both sides, and decorative shrubs.

There will also be footpaths on both sides of the road and street lighting will be installed along its entirety.

About 35 families currently living along the road will need to relocate and compensation packages have been calculated according to land area, size and type of housing, as well as how long the family has lived on the site.

The lowest compensation payout is about 25 million kip and the highest about 1.6 billion kip.

The affected families will be required to move away from the project site by the end of this month, said Mr Khambai.

The road is in a historic area and includes the traditional entry and exit points for That Luang Stupa.

Several projects around the That Luang area have been completed and some are currently underway. The projects are part of efforts to improve the city ahead of the anniversary celebrations.