Bullet points to highlight for the trail bridge workshop (July 3, 2018)

Posting Date:

04 Jul 2018

· The lack of descent trails and roads to numerous villages make remote villages isolated from services and markets. Improvement of access to target villages is often one of the most important needs expressed by the communities and a key instrument to reduce poverty. Therefore trail bridges are key investments that should be promoted in rural and remote areas as a poverty fighting instrument.

· The capacity to build bridges in rural areas is very low in Laos, especially for suspension bridges. There are currently no technical standards available in Laos to build such bridges. The accident with a trail bridge that occurred not long time ago and that kills young people remind us that it is urgent to set standards that allow people to use trail bridge safely. Nepal has been implementing a community based trail bridge program for more than 30 years and has developed extended know how in terms of technical designs and institutional aspects of bridge building. More than 2,000 bridges have been built so far with support from different donors. Through this pilot, PRF engineers as well as Government engineers have been trained

· Currently, trail bridges built in Laos have to be periodically repaired and maintained and cannot resist bad weather. This is a burden that fall under the community responsibility, and if the maintenance is not properly done, the risk of potential accident is dramatically increasing. The trail bridge technology that have been imported has the advantage of lasting much longer that the other trial bridge technology and significantly reduce the time and budget that must be devoted to maintenance. It is an important factor as the use of the Nepalese technology may require higher investment but is more cost-effective on a long term perspective.

· Through this pilot, PRF engineers as well as Government engineers have been trained to master this technology. It means that these bridges can be replicated in Laos as the technology and the know-how is already here.

· Finally, this pilot shows that when projects joined there forces and cooperate, they can achieved results that would not have been possible if PRF or Helvetas would have tried separately. This is a good example that can be replicate by other projects and that should be promoted by the Government.

The trail bridge mentioned above is suspension bridges were constructed at Sakaen and Kanha villages in Nalae district, Luangnamtha Province.

At present time, Sakaen and Kanha villagers able to travel to each other and also bring their products to sell at district market easily and safely.