Reasonable divergence to have 5,000km of highway

While waiting for resources to be allocated for complete investment, the Ministry of Transport is requesting the most optimal traffic organization; reviewing and adding more signs and instructions to ensure maximum safety with existing infrastructure.

Economic breakthrough, accidents reduced thanks to highways

Every day, Mr. Nguyen Van Ut regularly drives a truck on the Cam Lo - La Son highway to mountainous communes to buy glue and transport it to Phu Bai Industrial Park to supply to the Hue Bioenergy Joint Stock Company factory.

In Thua Thien - Hue, the Cam Lo - La Son expressway, immediately after its inauguration, reduced the load on National Highway 1 by 30 - 40% in terms of both traffic volume and number of traffic accidents. Photo: PV.

According to Mr. Ut, with the Cam Lo - La Son expressway, transporting goods to the mountainous areas of Quang Tri and Hue is more convenient, and the source of goods is abundant. "Previously, if I went from Phu Bai to Cam Lo on National Highway 1, it would take two hours, but now with the expressway, I can save 30 minutes, and travel much safer," said Mr. Ut.

The Cam Lo - La Son project, part of the North - South expressway project, with a length of more than 98km and a total investment of VND 7,669 billion, will be put into operation at the end of 2022, delighting the people.

This route connects with the La Son - Tuy Loan expressway, which is more than 77km long, creating an expressway longer than 175km and connecting with the Da Nang - Quang Ngai expressway, creating a dynamic axis across the Central region.

Mr. Le Chi Phai, Deputy General Director of Chan May Port Joint Stock Company (Phu Loc District, Thua Thien - Hue Province) shared that although the port is not located directly on the two expressways Cam Lo - La Son, La Son - Hoa Lien, the diversion to reduce the load on National Highway 1 makes it easier for goods to pass through the port. The output of goods through Chan May Port in 2023 reached nearly 4 million tons, an increase of 14%. In January 2024, the output increased by another 9% compared to the same period in 2023.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Chief of Office of the Traffic Safety Committee of Quang Tri province, said that Dong Ha city does not have a bypass, so heavy trucks have had to enter the city for a long time, posing a potential risk to traffic safety. This situation will end when the Cam Lo - La Son expressway is put into operation.

In Thua Thien - Hue, according to Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Hoang Hai Minh, the Cam Lo - La Son expressway, immediately after its inauguration, reduced the load on National Highway 1 by 30 - 40% in terms of both traffic volume and number of traffic accidents.

In 2014, with the inauguration of the 265km Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway, for the first time a two-lane expressway was put into operation.

This expressway with a total investment of over 1.46 billion USD passes through 5 localities. Of which, the Hanoi - Yen Bai section has 4 lanes, maximum speed of 100km/h; the Yen Bai - Lao Cai section has 2 lanes, maximum speed of 80km/h.

The route has shortened the travel time from Hanoi to Lao Cai, Tuyen Quang and Ha Giang provinces by more than half (from 7 hours to 3.5 hours), saving 20-30% of transportation costs. The total savings for society are about 1,800 billion VND per year.

Not long after being put into operation, the Noi Bai - Lao Cai Expressway has contributed to the strong socio-economic development of the localities passing through it. Of which, Lao Cai is the locality that benefits the most. Budget revenue in the area increased from 3,500 billion VND (in 2013) to 9,399 billion VND in 2023 and reached 9,498 billion VND in 2024.

Can't blame the 2 lane highway

According to Associate Professor Dr. Tran Chung, Chairman of the Vietnam Road Transport Construction Investors Association (Varsi), the investment plan for the expressway in phases is a suitable solution in periods when investment resources are limited. The number of lanes depends on the traffic volume of each area.

Additional signs on Cam Lo - La Son highway

On February 26, the working group of the Vietnam Road Administration coordinated with functional units to continue to inspect the scene and discuss plans to improve traffic safety on the Cam Lo - La Son expressway.

According to the QLDB II Area, the delegation reviewed the entire system of signs, road markings, intersections, and transitions from 4 lanes to 2 lanes and from 2 lanes to 4 lanes at intersections.

Thereby, agreeing on solutions to open more sections of road painted with broken lines to allow overtaking on straight roads with clear visibility, ensuring conditions for overtaking.

Based on the consensus of the working group's solutions, the Vietnam Road Administration proposed that the HCM Road Project Management Board supplement traffic signs at intersections and overtaking points and adjust the road centerline from solid lines to broken lines in sections that ensure overtaking capability; promptly complete procedures to simultaneously implement the adjustment of lane separation paint and reinforced shoulders from solid lines to broken lines in these overtaking sections.

According to the HCM Road Project Management Board, the unit will adjust and supplement traffic safety items before March 15.

Galaxy

"We cannot blame the investment on the diversification. Some recent incidents on highways show that the awareness of traffic participants is not really good. This situation requires that propaganda and legal education work needs to be further promoted," said Mr. Chung.

Sharing the same opinion, Mr. Bui Bo, Hung Vuong Center for Vocational Education and Driver Training and Testing, said that many people blame the construction of two-lane highways for not ensuring safety, which is incorrect and one-sided thinking.

"Only one accident has occurred in two years of operation, and people immediately blame the infrastructure, while many people do not comply with traffic safety laws," the Minister acknowledged.

Mr. Le Hong Diep, Head of the Department of Traffic Infrastructure Maintenance Management (Vietnam Road Administration) said that according to Standard 4054:2005 on road design, roads with 4 or more lanes can have a hard median strip dividing the two directions of traffic.

To install a hard divider, a minimum of 1.5m is needed in the middle of the road. According to the Design Standards, the current lane width is 3.4m, corresponding to a maximum speed of 80km/h. If it is cut to make a hard divider, it will narrow down, making it unsafe for vehicles to run, especially in the event of an accident.

The Vietnam Road Administration has directed the Road Management Areas to coordinate with relevant units to review and evaluate the traffic organization plan on the two-lane highway.

Appropriate investment diversification under limited budget conditions

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Quyen, Chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association, it is undeniable that two-lane highways have been contributing to shortening travel time between regions, facilitating connections between economic and political centers, seaports and international airports, creating momentum and spillover effects for socio-economic development.

With the Cam Lo - La Son expressway, transporting goods to mountainous areas of Quang Tri and Hue is much more convenient than before.

To date, the country has put into operation 12 expressways with a total length of 743km, accounting for 40% of the total length of expressways in operation, including 5 2-lane expressways with a length of 371km and 7 4-lane expressways with intermittent emergency stop strips with a length of 372km.

Mr. Quyen said that the scale of investment divergence is suitable for transportation needs in the immediate period when traffic volume is not large, especially effective for highways connecting to mountainous provinces and difficult areas.

The demand for investment in expressways is very large, while the State budget is limited and mobilizing non-budgetary capital is difficult. The investment phase will reduce 30-50% of the total project investment, so it is suitable for the ability to balance resources in each phase.

Professor Duong Ngoc Hai (Hanoi University of Civil Engineering) also said that the investment cost for a complete expressway is very large. If every expressway requires completion from the beginning, it will be very difficult to achieve the goal of having 5,000km of expressway by 2030 as set out in the Party Congress Resolution.

"The solution of diversifying investment in two-lane highways is considered an appropriate economic solution in the context of limited budget. In other words, we have "measured our coat according to our cloth" and have a reasonable approach compared to the conditions and resources of the past time," said Mr. Hai.

Expand as soon as conditions and resources are met

Mr. Le Kim Thanh, Director of the Vietnam Expressway Administration, said that recently, the Ministry of Transport has researched and reported to competent authorities to invest in the phasing of expressway projects based on the principle: During the investment preparation process, it is required to calculate investment options according to the planning scale and the scale of investment phasing to select options suitable to transportation needs and the ability to balance resources.

Only invest in expressways in the early stages of operation with low transport demand. Invest in a minimum scale of 4 lanes for sections with high transport demand.

The divergent solution only applies to the cross-sectional width factor (number of lanes, intermittent emergency stopping strips), other technical factors ensure highway technical standards to facilitate expansion in the next phase and ensure exploitation according to highway standards.

To meet future transportation needs and ensure a long-term vision, the Road Network Planning for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050, all expressways are planned with a scale of 4 - 10 lanes, operating speed of 80 - 120 km/h. The planning also sets the goal of investing in gradually synchronous, modern, and safe roads.

Implementing the Prime Minister's direction, the Ministry of Transport has been and is continuing to coordinate with localities and relevant agencies to develop mechanisms, policies; technical standards and regulations; and mobilize resources to soon invest in expanding and completing the expressways currently in operation on a phased scale.

Regarding policy, the Ministry of Transport has coordinated with relevant agencies to submit to the National Assembly a draft Law on Roads, including a mechanism to allow the expansion, renovation, upgrading, and modernization of expressways under the PPP method, BOT contract type, to continue to mobilize maximum non-budgetary resources, and promptly invest in completing expressways that have been divided into investment phases.

The Ministry of Transport is reviewing, making a list, and prioritizing investments to propose and report to competent authorities for permission to expand when resources are sufficient (medium-term reserve funds, capital sources to increase the central budget revenue annually or in the next medium-term period...).

National Assembly Deputy Vu Tien Loc (Member of the National Assembly's Economic Committee, Chairman of the Vietnam International Arbitration Center):

Optimal traffic organization according to existing infrastructure

Recently, the Ministry of Transport and localities have researched and proposed to invest in a number of routes on a phased scale. The early operation of expressways has contributed to promoting socio-economic development.

However, it is urgent to upgrade the expressway that has been invested in phases to reach the scale of a complete expressway, in accordance with design standards and transportation needs.

In particular, focus on investing as soon as possible in routes with 2 lanes and review, supplement fully and synchronously the infrastructure works on the route. If funding is not guaranteed, it is necessary to review and organize traffic in the most optimal direction with the existing infrastructure conditions.

National Assembly Deputy Tran Van Lam (Standing Member of the National Assembly's Finance and Budget Committee):

Upgrade and expansion must be based on needs.

Investment in transportation projects must be based on resources and actual needs. If we build a grand, multi-lane road but have few or no vehicles, it is a waste.

We should not rush into investing and expanding unnecessary sections just because of a few incidents. Upgrading and expanding should be based on demand and economic efficiency.

National Assembly Deputy Pham Van Thinh (Member of the National Assembly's Economic Committee):

Collecting tolls on highways invested by the State to create resources

In the context of limited budget, it is right for us to "cut our coat according to our cloth" as in the past. Not only in Vietnam, even many advanced countries in the developing stage also build highways with only 2 lanes.

As people's travel needs increase and resources are allocated, it is necessary to consider expanding investment in 2-lane highways. One of the solutions is to collect tolls on all state-invested highways when conditions permit, thereby creating resources to continue investing in new projects and upgrading 2-lane highways to 4-6 lanes.

Mr. Nguyen Trong Hai, Vice Chairman of Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee:

Traffic increased, should upgrade to 4 lanes

Thanks to the smooth highway from Noi Bai to Lao Cai, the local economy has grown rapidly, with each year always higher than the previous year. This is also the basis for Lao Cai to build a strategy to become a logistics hub on the Kunming - Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong - Quang Ninh economic corridor by 2030.

On this highway, the 83km Yen Bai - Lao Cai section has only 2 lanes, with a maximum speed of only 80km/h. After 8 years of opening the highway, traffic volume has increased, and the province really hopes that this section will be upgraded to 4 lanes.

Mr. Mai Xuan Liem, Vice Chairman of Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee:

Leverage to attract investment

The North-South Expressway project passing through Thanh Hoa province has a total length of 98.8km with 3 component projects including: Mai Son - National Highway 45 (49.02km long); National Highway 45 - Nghi Son (43.28km long) and Nghi Son - Dien Chau (6.5km).

The expressway's formation and use have a great significance and role in promoting socio-economic development and ensuring local security and defense in all aspects.

Not only meeting the travel needs of the people, the highway also creates a great driving force for the province in economic development, and is a lever to attract investors.

To promote the effectiveness of the expressway, Thanh Hoa has allocated 7,512 billion VND from the provincial budget to invest in a number of large-scale projects with 4-8 lanes connecting key local roads with the expressway project through intersections.

Rush to cover highway rest stops

Up to now, after being opened to traffic and put into operation, some sections of the North-South Expressway still do not have rest stops along the route, causing inconvenience for drivers.

Mr. Vu Tuan Anh, Deputy Director of the Department of Transport Infrastructure, Ministry of Transport, said that rest stops are a part of road construction projects, and also a place for service business. In difficult budget conditions, rest stops will be called for social investment by competent authorities, reducing pressure on public investment.

However, due to the incomplete legal regulations of the previous period, implementation encountered difficulties.

To meet the exploitation requirements of a number of component projects that are being prepared or have been put into use, the Ministry of Transport has approved the location and scale of rest stops on the Eastern North-South Expressway and requested project management boards to urgently organize the selection of investors and implement construction.

Mr. Le Kim Thanh, Director of the Vietnam Expressway Administration, said that on the North-South Expressway in the East, there are 36 rest stops, of which 9 have been put into operation and are under construction; 1 station is under local management (Huu Nghi - Chi Lang); 2 stations are managed by VEC (Da Nang - Quang Ngai, Ben Luc - Trung Luong) and 24 stations are under the management of the Ministry of Transport.

For 24 stations managed by the Ministry of Transport, the selection of contractors for consulting packages to prepare documents for 21/24 stations has been organized.

As for the 3 stations belonging to the component projects of La Son - Hoa Lien, Deo Ca tunnel, My Thuan - Can Tho, they are still finalizing or have not yet approved the rest stop items, so there is not enough basis or lack of funds for implementation. The Department is coordinating and urging investors to study and propose solutions.

With 21 stations currently organizing the selection of consulting contractors to prepare the list of documents, including 10 North-South expressway rest stops in phase 1 (2017-2020) and 11 stations in the North-South expressway phase 2 (2021-2025), the next procedures are being carried out to select investors.

For 10 stations of the North-South Expressway, Phase 1, the Vietnam Expressway Administration has announced the project list; approved and posted the list of investors meeting the preliminary requirements on capacity and experience on the national bidding network for 8/10 rest stops. The results so far show that all 8 stations have 2 or more investors registered and meeting the preliminary requirements on capacity and experience.

For the 11 stations in phase 2 of the expressway, contractors for consulting packages to prepare station list documents have been selected. The project management boards are completing procedures to prepare investment and business project proposals to submit to the Ministry of Transport for approval.

Tran Duy

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/phan-ky-hop-ly-de-co-5000km-cao-toc-192240226235233301.htm