VIENTIANE - The Lao Ministry of Public Works and Transport and China's Yunnan Sunny Road and Bridge Company (YSRBC) have signed a memorandum of understanding on a feasibility study of constructing a section of the expressway linking capital Vientiane and southern Laos' hub Pakxe.

The document was signed on Tuesday by the Lao ministry's Road Department Director General Pheng Douangngeun and YSRBC's Deputy General Manager Liu Faliang.

YRSBS is scheduled to begin work soon and will spend one year on the assignment after signing a contract with the ministry, the coordinator of the expressway project Bounyavath Nilaxay said at the signing ceremony, held in Vientiane.

After the company's completion of survey and feasibility study, Bounyavath said the government would authorize them to invest in the construction of the expressway.

The YSRBC section of the Vientiane-Pakse Expressway extends from Pakxan district in Borikhamxay province to Thakhaek district in Khammuan province of over a distance of 164 km, which will be on the lines of the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model.

"The expressway is a priority pilot project of the government and will attract more foreign investment and tourists to Laos upon its completion," Bounyavath said.

Liu said the expressway would help to spur the socio-economic growth of Laos and would enable the country to connect with others in the region, with the aim of turning the landlocked Laos into a regional economic hub.

The expressway will be crucial to reducing traffic jams and enabling faster and more efficient transport of goods and people. It will generate income for the country, and benefit local areas in particular by helping to bring foreign investors to the region, Liu said.

The road will be built to specifications laid down under ASEAN Expressway Standard Grade One and will be able to carry loads of up to 11 tonnes per axle.

The 585-km expressway, running from Vientiane to Champassak province, will have four lanes, with a total carriageway width of 23 meters.

At present it takes about 10 hours by car to travel from Vientiane to Pakxe. When the expressway is built, travel time could be reduced to less than seven hours.