Proposing the Ministry of Transport to study the expansion of Cam Lo Expressway

Information from the People's Committee of Quang Tri province said that the locality has just received a report on the results of the pre-feasibility study appraisal of the project to expand the North-South expressway in the East, Cam Lo - La Son section (referred to as the Cam Lo - La Son Expressway Expansion Project) chaired by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, in coordination with relevant ministries, branches and 3 localities: Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, and Da Nang.

The Cam Lo - La Son expressway section currently has only 2 lanes - Photo: Le Truong

The Cam Lo - La Son Expressway expansion project belongs to project group A, with the Prime Minister deciding on the investment policy and the Ministry of Transport (MOT) deciding on the project investment, assigning the Ho Chi Minh Road Project Management Board (at the pre-feasibility study report stage) as the investor.

The Cam Lo - La Son Expressway expansion project has a route length of about 98.35 km, the section through Quang Tri province is about 36.3 km long, with the expansion of the roadbed, road surface and works on the route from 2 lanes to 4 lanes. The total investment is 7,000 billion VND, implemented from 2024 to 2025.

According to the appraisal report, in terms of conformity with the road network planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, the Cam Lo - La Son expressway has a scale of 6 lanes, with the investment progress before 2030. However, according to the pre-feasibility study report, the project is expected to be completed in 2026 with a complete scale of 4 lanes, with this progress it is difficult to ensure that the Cam Lo - La Son section will reach the scale of 6 lanes according to the plan before 2030. Therefore, it is recommended that the Ministry of Transport study and select an investment plan to ensure efficiency and avoid waste.

Regarding scale, the pre-feasibility study report proposes two investment options, including: option 1, a 4-lane scale with a total investment of about 7,000 billion VND; option 2, a 6-lane scale according to the plan with a total investment of about 12,778 billion VND and choosing option 1 with the advantage of limiting site clearance on the main route, suitable for the investment scale and progress of the implementation of the neighboring sections of Van Ninh - Cam Lo and La Son - Hoa Lien, taking advantage of the entire embankment consolidation project that has been constructed, suitable for the announced capital source.

The pre-feasibility study report calculated that the transportation demand until 2045 would need to be expanded to a scale of 6 lanes and selected option 1. However, the traffic calculation did not take into account the increase in coal traffic from Laos to Vietnamese seaports, while option 2 is consistent with the planned scale until 2030, which is 6 lanes.

Therefore, it is recommended that the Ministry of Transport calculate, review and take responsibility for selecting the investment scale and implementing the expansion to 6 lanes according to the plan, ensuring convenience and avoiding waste.

Le Truong

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/de-nghi-bo-nbsp-giao-thong-van-tai-nghien-cuu-mo-rong-cao-toc-cam-lo-la-son-len-6-lan-xe-188369.htm