Workshop Introduction

Laokham Sompheth

Director General

Department of Roads

Ministry of Public Works and Transport

This is the final Dissemination Workshop for the first phase of SEACAP 3 and is concerned primarily with the delivery of proposals for Low Volume Rural Road (LVRR) Standards and Specifications for Lao together with related aspects of training and research.

The MPWT had requested this research because of they had identified a real need for rural road standards and specifications that were appropriate to the Lao environment and to the declared NGPES aim of eliminating rural poverty through increased rural access. This identified need also fitted well with the core SEACAP concept of alleviating poverty through improving sustainable rural transport by maximizing input of local resources.

Undertaking research on rural road design and developing likely solutions is not nearly enough. There has to be a framework within which they can be mainstreamed. Suitable LVRR Standards were therefore seen as essential to provide the context and control framework within which road options could be assessed and selected for appropriate use.

In short, – relevant standards and specifications will lead to more effective use of budgets not only for construction and also for sustainable maintenance.

The final LVRR proposals are based upon effective cooperation between the SEACAP Coordinating Committee, the DoR (LRD) and the SEACAP consultants (TRL-LTEC) over the last 12 months. Valuable cooperation and advice has also been received from not only other SEACAP projects but also from programmes such as SIDA Basic Access, LSRP 2 and ADB10. It is important that the results of this work should be seen therefore as a team effort with the DoR (LRD) having a key role in guiding the research towards the needs of the Lao rural road sector

Having completed this research it is now important that it be taken up by MPWT as the Owners and potential implementers of the outputs. There is a clear path to be followed from research output to validation by the Ministry and then, most importantly, effective use at province and district level. The three key documents delivered by SEACAP 3 have been aimed at use by province and district level engineers and this workshop will give a further opportunity for widening awareness at this level and for engineers to participate in discussion on key issues.

The SEACAP 3 work has indicated areas where further research and development is required - for example in the fields of low cost structures and drainage and in the application of Environmentally Optimized Design – and it is hoped that these areas can be addressed in the near future.

In the meantime the Consultants should now make their presentations on SEACAP 3 which should lead to useful discussion on topics of interest or concern.

25 th March 2008