Ministry of Construction responds to Ben Tre voters' opinions on investment in traffic works

The existing Tan Phu ferry takes passengers to Chau Thanh and Cho Lach districts.

Accordingly, during the meetings with voters of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation and the Provincial People's Council, voters of Ben Tre province proposed to consider early investment support in the medium-term plan for the period 2026 - 2030 for urgent traffic works to contribute to promoting the socio-economic development of the province. These include the construction of Ham Luong 2 bridge and the access road to the bridge; upgrading sections 2, 3, 4 of the investment project to upgrade, expand and construct 4 sections of National Highway 60 connecting Rach Mieu bridge to Co Chien bridge under the form of BOT contract; upgrading National Highway 57 from Mo Cay town to Khau Bang; building a new An Hoa 2 bridge and access roads on both sides on National Highway 57B; building Tan Phu bridge to replace Tan Phu ferry, on National Highway 57B...

Through the recommendations of Ben Tre voters, the Ministry of Construction said that, regarding the investment in the project to upgrade National Highway 57 from Mo Cay town to Khau Bang (Km49+650 - Km103+283), the Ministry of Construction agreed on the necessity to continue investing in upgrading National Highway 57 from Mo Cay to Khau Bang to ensure synchronization and create conditions for socio-economic development in the locality.

The Ministry of Construction acknowledges the voters' recommendations and will coordinate with the People's Committee of Ben Tre province to review and implement procedures for handing over national highways that will be decentralized to the provincial People's Committee, including National Highway 57. Therefore, it is recommended that the locality prioritize balancing and allocating investment capital for National Highway 57 from Mo Cay town to Khau Bang as recommended by the voters above and the Ministry of Construction will coordinate with the locality to report to the competent authority to consider and invest in upgrading and expanding the route in the period of 2026 - 2030.

Regarding investment in bridges on National Highway 57B, according to the plan, National Highway 57B, 87 km long, level III-IV scale, 2-4 lanes; current road surface scale from 6-8m, on the route there is still a location crossing Ham Luong River (Tan Phu ferry) where a bridge has not been built. Recently, the Ministry of Construction has directed the Vietnam Road Administration to invest in the project of emergency repair to prevent erosion of Pillar T2 of An Hoa Bridge, National Highway 57B, Ben Tre province with a budget of about 7 billion VND; currently under construction, to be completed in the first quarter of 2025. The Ministry of Construction agrees with the proposal of Ben Tre province voters on the necessity of researching and establishing an investment project to build Tan Phu bridge to replace Tan Phu ferry and An Hoa 2 bridge on National Highway 57B, meeting the expected increase in transportation demand when Phu Thuan Industrial Park comes into operation, developing the economy of Ben Tre province in particular and the Mekong Delta region in general.

The Ministry of Construction acknowledged the voters' recommendations and said it would coordinate with the People's Committee of Ben Tre province to review and implement procedures for handing over national highways that will be decentralized to the provincial People's Committee, including National Highway 57B. Therefore, it is recommended that the locality prioritize balancing and allocating investment capital for bridges on National Highway 57B as recommended by the voters above and the Ministry of Construction will coordinate with the locality to report to the competent authority to consider and invest in upgrading and expanding the route in the period of 2026 - 2030.

Regarding investment in projects on National Highway 60, according to the Road Network Planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050 approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 1454/QD-TTg dated September 1, 2021, National Highway 60 starts at My Tho City, Tien Giang Province, and ends at the intersection with National Highway 61B in Nga Nam Town, Soc Trang Province, approximately 147 km long, with a planning scale of level II-III, 2-6 lanes. In recent years, the Ministry of Construction has completed investment in many projects on National Highway 60 in Ben Tre Province such as Rach Mieu Bridge, Ham Luong Bridge, Co Chien Bridge, upgrading sections from Rach Mieu Bridge to Co Chien Bridge, and is currently investing in the construction of Rach Mieu 2 Bridge to meet transportation needs. In the period up to 2030, the Ministry of Construction determined to continue focusing resources to complete investment in Dai Ngai bridge and sections in Tra Vinh and Soc Trang provinces according to approved planning.

The Ministry of Construction also noted the comments on considering investment in expanding Ham Luong Bridge and will coordinate with the People's Committee of Ben Tre province to report to competent authorities for consideration and allocation of capital for investment in construction when there are conditions on resources and the demand for transportation on the route increases. Regarding the upgrading of sections 2, 3, 4 of the investment project to upgrade, expand and construct 4 sections on National Highway 60, the province is requested to continue studying investment in the form of PPP; in case it is not feasible, after the project's toll collection period expires (after 2027), the Ministry of Construction will coordinate with the People's Committee of Ben Tre province to mobilize capital sources to implement investment in expanding National Highway 60.

The Ministry of Construction requested the People's Committee of Ben Tre province to proactively review and prioritize investment projects to synthesize and propose to competent authorities to consider investment in the project in the medium-term public investment plan for the period 2026 - 2030.

News and photos: Hoang Phuong

Source: https://baodongkhoi.vn/bo-xay-dung-tra-loi-y-kien-cua-cu-tri-ben-tre-ve-dau-tu-cac-cong-trinh-giao-thong-30032025-a144444.html