Prioritize resources for expanding two-lane highways

Photo caption — Nha Trang - Cam Lam Expressway

Review infrastructure of 2-lane highways

According to Official Dispatch No. 16/CD-TTg dated February 21, 2024 of the Prime Minister on accelerating research and investment in upgrading expressways in operation and being invested in on a phased scale, the Prime Minister directed the ministries of Public Security, Transport, Planning and Investment, Finance, Science and Technology, Natural Resources and Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development, Chairman of the State Capital Management Committee at Enterprises, Chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and cities to urgently study investment plans and upgrade expressways with a scale of 2 lanes.

According to the dispatch, the capital demand for investment in the expressway system is large, while resources are limited; in order to meet the socio-economic development needs of localities, the Ministry of Transport and localities are studying and proposing investment in a number of expressway routes on a phased scale.

However, in recent times, the operation of expressways with different scales has had some limitations such as potential risks of traffic safety, traffic congestion, and traffic accidents such as the accident that occurred on February 18 on the Cam Lo - La Son expressway...

To urgently overcome limitations, enhance traffic safety, and improve the efficiency of exploiting expressways, the Prime Minister requested the Minister of Transport to direct relevant agencies to immediately study solutions to organize traffic reasonably, scientifically, effectively, and best control traffic activities to ensure traffic safety on expressways of different scales, ensuring the lives, health, and property of the people.

Notably, the Ministry of Transport shall preside over and coordinate with localities to focus on investing as soon as possible in 2-lane expressways; review and supplement fully and synchronously infrastructure works on the routes such as intelligent traffic systems, rest stops, etc. to report to the Prime Minister in March 2024.

The People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities are responsible for urgently researching and proposing investment plans to upgrade expressways that have been and are being invested in according to a phased scale, sending them to the Ministry of Transport before March 15, and reviewing and implementing site clearance work to serve investment and upgrading of expressways.

In addition, the State Capital Management Committee at Enterprises directed the Expressway Corporation (VEC) to urgently study and propose investment plans to upgrade expressways under its management and operation in phases, and send them to the Ministry of Transport before March 15.

Prioritize upgrade resources

According to Mr. Le Kim Thanh, Director of the Vietnam Expressway Administration, the Ministry of Transport has directed a comprehensive review of expressways invested in phases, especially 2-lane routes, to develop plans and arrange priorities for upgrading and expansion when resources are available. In the past, Vietnam focused on investing in developing 2-lane expressways in the context of a developing economy with limited investment resources. When the economy develops and there are enough resources, it will be expanded to 4 lanes.

Through research, investing in complete-scale expressways has a large investment cost. In the context of limited resources, the investment phase will be suitable for immediate needs, the ability to balance capital and quickly deploy the construction of many expressways, meeting the urgent socio-economic development needs of localities.

The investment phase will reduce the total project investment by 30 - 50%, so it is suitable for the ability to balance resources in each phase. In particular, the investment phase will help localities soon form an expressway system to meet the goals of the 10-year socio-economic development strategy for the period 2021 - 2030, the road network planning for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050 of the Government.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Transport, the country has put into operation 12 expressways with investment phases, with a total length of 743 km, accounting for 40% of the total length of expressways in operation. Of which, 5 expressways have 2 lanes, with a length of 371 km, including: Cam Lo - La Son 98 km long, La Son - Hoa Lien 66 km long, Yen Bai - Lao Cai 141 km long, Hoa Lac - Hoa Binh 26 km long, Thai Nguyen - Cho Moi 40 km long.

In addition, 7 4-lane expressways have intermittent emergency stopping strips, with a length of 372 km, including: Cao Bo - Mai Son 15 km long, Mai Son - QL45 63 km long, National Highway (QL)45 - Nghi Son 43 km long, Nghi Son - Dien Chau 50 km long, Nha Trang - Cam Lam 49 km long, Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet 101 km long, Trung Luong - My Thuan 51 km long.

Implementing the Prime Minister's direction on reviewing and prioritizing resources for upgrading and expanding 2-lane highways, the Ministry of Transport has directed agencies and units to comprehensively review all expressways invested in phases, especially 2-lane expressways, assess existing problems and limitations; develop appropriate plans and solutions to upgrade to ensure the scale of 4 lanes.

In particular, resource mobilization will prioritize investment in upgrading and expanding existing highways under the PPP method (BOT contract) or upgrading existing highways in operation under the PPP method. Currently, the Ministry of Transport has reviewed and reported to competent authorities to allow investment in expanding the La Son - Hoa Lien route (66 km) from 2 lanes to 4 lanes; expanding according to the planning to 6 lanes the Cao Bo - Mai Son routes (15 km) using increased budget revenue in 2022, the Trung Luong - My Thuan route (51 km) under the PPP form...

TH (according to Tin Tuc newspaper)

Source