Thailand gives financial support to Laos for road maintenance
Bangkok (VNA) - The Thai cabinet has approved 1.8
billion THB (about 48.8 million USD) in financial assistance for the Lao Government to maintain and improve Highway R12, shortening the travel time from Thailand’s Nakhon Phanom province, through Laos,
to the Vietnamese border in central Quang Binh province.
Deputy Government Spokesperson Kaenika
Oonchit said Highway R12 starts in Thakhek, the capital of Khammouane province
in Laos, at the junction with Highway R13, which is about 17km from
Thailand’s Nakhon Phanom border checkpoint. It runs through Laos and ends in
the Vietnamese border province of Quang Binh, covering a total distance of 147km
and forming an integral part of the Asian Highway Network.
Kaenika said that the money will also be used to upgrade
cargo terminals, storage facilities, lighting at intersections, public
utilities, drainage systems in communities, and tourist
attractions along the route.
Highway R12 will enhance road transport and logistics
linking Thailand with Laos, Vietnam and China, shorten the transit time from
ten to just four hours, and reduce customs procedures from five to just two
checkpoints.
R12 is considered as the
shortest route, compared to R8 or R9, along the East-West Economic Corridor, the official said, adding that the amount of goods transported from Nakhon Phanom to Laos via
R12, after maintenance works complete, is anticipated to increase by
about 50%./.