Expressway to ease Vientiane traffic jams
A PLANNED 15-kilometre expressway linking Vientiane to Xaythany district could handle as many as 75,000 vehicles a day and significantly reduce the Lao capital’s traffic congestion, a feasibility study has shown.
Vientiane authorities are currently seeking investors to bid for and develop the project, which is estimated to cost between US$150 million and US$200 million.
The authorities said it was critically important to build the four-lane road to reduce the current heavy traffic on the Kaysone Phomvihane Road.
Statistics showed that as many as 43,800 vehicles a day commute from Phonkheng traffic lights to Dongdok traffic lights on Kaysone Phomvihane Road. Worse still, as many as 51,700 vehicles commute daily from Dongdok traffic lights to Donnoun traffic lights on the road.
Traffic on the road becomes paralysed during the rush hour, especially when accidents happen.
“Emergency vehicles [ambulances] cannot even come when an accident happens,” authorities said in the feasibility report delivered to the government.
Insufficient roads coupled with increasing numbers of vehicles in Vientiane have meant worsening traffic congestion in the capital.
From 2010-15, Vientiane witnessed an 11 percent annual increase in the number of registered vehicles. More than 800,000 vehicles have been registered in the capital, equivalent to one for every single man, woman and child. The registered vehicles excluded state-owned vehicles driven by officials.