Lao authorities pick new company to complete road upgrade project

Government authorities in Laos have selected a new company to upgrade a major thoroughfare in the capital Vientiane, after the firm submitted an estimate that was lower than one quoted by a Chinese company believed to have ties to the country’s national leaders.

A survey conducted by Chinese firm The Third Railway Survey and Design Institute Group Corporation (TSDI) between November 2014 and January 2015 estimated the cost of upgrade work on a roadway connecting Laos National University’s Dongdok campus to Route 13 North at U.S. $80 million.

Keep reading