Road improvement techniques to be applied locally through 2030

Participants pose for a group photo at the launch ceremony for the Laos land and transport Official Development Assistance project in Laos. [Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology]
Participants pose for a group photo at the launch ceremony for the Laos land and transport Official Development Assistance project in Laos. [Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology]

South Korea's road construction and management technology is set to be deployed in improving unpaved roads in Laos.

The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology announced Thursday that it has secured a second phase of the Laos Road Construction and Management Capacity Building project, worth 5.4 billion won ($3.95 million), following the completion of the first phase. The total project cost, including the first phase, comes to 10.8 billion won.

The institute plans to expand the local application of unpaved road improvement techniques and strengthen Laos's road construction and management capabilities over four years through 2030.

During the first phase, the institute helped revise and establish national road construction standards tailored to local conditions in Laos, and supplied construction material production equipment as well as construction and quality testing tools.

Particularly notable was the overhaul of national construction standards — previously available only in English — into a bilingual system operating in both English and Lao, making them more accessible to local engineers. The institute also aligned the standards with Korean Industrial Standards, laying the technical groundwork for South Korean construction companies seeking to enter the Laos market.

The second phase will diversify unpaved road improvement methods and expand the pilot area beyond Vientiane Prefecture to outlying hub cities.

Construction methods suited to the road and climate conditions of each region will be verified, and the results compiled into a database. The data will then be used to enhance the climate resilience of roads against extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall.

Support for local technological self-reliance will also be strengthened. The institute will provide technology transfers and hands-on training to Lao state-owned enterprises, and will work with the National University of Laos to develop next-generation road technology specialists. It also plans to identify follow-on projects linked to multilateral development banks to sustain and broaden the impact of its Official Development Assistance work.

"We will work to help Laos build a sustainable foundation for improving and managing its own roads, and to contribute to the country's economic growth through better road infrastructure," said Park Seon-gyu, president of the institute.


nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com