The Japanese government last Thursday granted over 340 billion kip to the Lao government to be spent on the improvement of national Road No. 9 in Savannakhet province.

The grant for the road improvement in a distance of 58 km, between the Seno Special Economic Zone in Outhoumphone district and Sepon district, Savannakhet province, has been provided through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Laos.

An agreement on the basic infrastructure improvement project was signed in Vientiane on the same day between General Director of the Road and Bridge Department, Mr. Laokham Sompheth, and Representative of the Oriental Consultants Company, Mr. Keigo Konno.

The improvement is expected to commence in April next year and to be complete in June, 2015.

Besides to the destruction by natural disasters, Road No. 9 has suffered from years of damage caused by overweight transportation.