Southern expressway project 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.

Deputy prime minister Hoang Trung Hai has authorised the Ministry of Transport to approve the proposal for building Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway, a ministry official told the Daily on June 2.

In the proposal passed to the prime minister last month, the 77.56-km highway will cost an estimated 16 trillion dong-plus ($840 million) and allow for a maximum speed of 100-120 km per hour.

The ministry underscores the need for developing the road as this 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 ofVung Tau.

If preparations proceed smoothly, work on the road will begin this year and be completed by end 2012, said the official.

Last year, Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway Development JSC (BVEC) asked the ministry to allow it 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 for Vietnam.

Last August, the developer started expanding National Highway 51, which connects Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces. The 72.7-km highway, stretching from a T-junction at the foot of Dong Nai Bridge, has been widened into a six-lane road. The BOT project requires 3.2 trillion dong.

The highway is a strategic backbone connecting HCM City, Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, which form an economic triangle in the southern economic zone.

Demand for cargo transportation between the three provinces is rapidly increasing, especially to and from major seaports in Thi Vai- Cai Mep area in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and placing great pressure on the highway.

Traffic jams happen on many parts of the road everyday. deputy prime minister Hoang Trung Hai earlier urged relevant ministries and agencies to quickly expand National Highway 51 and develop Bien Hoa- Vung Tau Expressway.

In addition to the Bien Hoa – Vung Tau Expressway project, a plan for building a railway between Bien Hoa and Thi Vai -Cai Mep port complex is being mapped out by the transport ministry.

TBKTSG

Tags: Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway, Vietnam Infrastructure