Southern expressway gets nod

The Government has given the green light to an expressway linking the southern industrial city of Bien Hoa in Dong Nai Province and the deep-water port complex of Thi Vai-Cai Mep in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

A transport ministry official said Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai had authorized the Ministry of Transport to approve the proposal for building Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway. The ministry underscores the need for developing the road as it will be a crucial link between Dong Nai, which is home to many industrial zones, and Thi Vai-Cai Mep port complex as well as the seaside resort town of Vung Tau.

The 77.56-km highway will cost an estimated l6 trillion dong-plus ($840 million) and allow for a maximum speed of 100-120 km per hour. Construction is to start this year and be completed by end-20l2.

Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway Development Company (BVEC) has asked the transport ministry for approval to build the expressway under the BOT (build-operate-transfer) form. BVEC is owned by a group of large State-owned companies comprising Vietnam Urban and Industrial Zone Development Investment Corporation (Idico), Song Da Corporation, and Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam.

The developer also started expanding National Highway 51 connecting Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces. It has just inked a deal with six commercial banks to fund 2.4 trillion ($125 million) for the 3.3-trillion dong project. The 72.7-km highway, which will be widened into a six-lane road under the BOT form, is expected to meet the rising cargo transport demand between HCM City, Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

Tags: Vietnam Infrastructure

Posted by VBN on Jun 25 2010. Filed under Infrastructure. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry