Lao PDR: National Road 13 South Extension Improvement and Maintenance Project

proposed

The project aims to improve, rehabilitate, and maintain a critical 50 km section of NR13, which serves as the sole access route from the South to the capital city of Vientiane. This section begins at KM21 in the suburban area of Vientiane Capital and extends southwards to KM71 in Xaysavang village, located in Thaprabath District, Bolihamxay province. The first 20 km of this section will be expanded from two to four lanes and the following 30 km will undergo rehabilitation. The road improvement and maintenance will be carried out through a 10-year Output- and Performance-Based Road Contract (OPBRC) under the Design, Build, Maintain, Operate, and Transfer (DBMOT) method. The project will also carry out capacity-building activities to strengthen the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) staff's capacity in managing road assets. This includes designing and implementing OPBRC, addressing road safety and climate resilience issues, and preparing future projects for improving and maintaining other critical sections of NR13. The components and their financing sources are as follows: Component 1 (financed jointly by AIIB, Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) and Government of Lao PDR (GoL)). Road Improvement, Rehabilitation, Maintenance and Operation. Component 2 (financed by AIIB). Provision of Monitoring, Technical assistance, and preparation of future investments.