The Southeast Asia Regional Economic Corridor and Connectivity Project is funded by the World Bank with the objective to improve climate resilient transport connectivity and regional trade along an east-west corridor through northern Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR)
Designed to complement the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Master Plan on Connectivity, the new project will facilitate the upgrade of the National Road 2 (NR2), which runs from east to west, connecting Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, thus building a “horizontal” corridor that links with existing north-south routes in mainland Southeast Asia.
In this context, a JV composed by Yooshin Engineering Corporation, IRD Engineering and Ilshin Engineers & Consultants, with the collaboration of Lao Transport Engineering Consultant, have recently been appointed as Implementation Support and Works Supervision Consultant for the rehabilitation of the NR2 West under an Output- and Performance-Based Road Contract.
The NR2 is part of the Asian Highway 13, running for almost 300 km from the Thai border at Huai Kone-Nam Ngeun to the Vietnamese border at Panghok-Tay Trang. The project will improve and widen sections of the road to meet Asian highway standards, making the road safer and climate resilient.
For a period of four years the Joint Venture will support the Department of Roads under the Ministry of Public Works and Transport in the overall implementation and supervision of the improvement and maintenance of the road and the border facilities at Panghok and Muang Gneun. Services include the review of the detailed design prepared by the Contractors, the supervision of all works, and the subsequent monitoring of all defined operation and maintenance indicators.
Important elements are the observation of the social and environmental safeguards and the traffic safety management plan by the OPBRC contractors. Also our Joint Venture will ensure climate resilience aspects to be present in the detailed design and later construction, such as large culverts with appropriate inlets and outlets, side ditches and canals to drain great amount of water, bridges and slope protection, among other elements.
This is the second contract signed by IRD Engineering in Lao PDR. A team of specialists from the company is currently providing implementation support and works supervision services to the Department of Roads under the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, focusing on the enhancement of climate resilience and safety of selected local roads with an overall length of almost 400 km in 5 provinces, using a hybrid performance-based contract (PBC) approach.
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