3 groups of solutions to remove "bottlenecks" in developing Nghe An's transport infrastructure

During the visit and working session in Nghe An, the Minister of Transport and his delegation noted the bright spots in the local transport picture. In addition, through discussions with provincial leaders and departments, the Minister made many practical suggestions and directions to promote the development strategy of Nghe An's transport sector.

Proposal to remove the "bottlenecks"

At the working session with the delegation of the Ministry of Transport on the afternoon of January 12, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Nguyen Dac Vinh, on behalf of the leaders of Nghe An province, affirmed that the province's transport infrastructure system in recent years has been invested in relatively synchronously and with high quality, creating a good premise for socio-economic development as well as local investment attraction to achieve many positive results.

During his recent visit, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc identified three major issues to raise the international level of Nghe An's transportation sector, including: seaports, airports and border gates.

Vissai deep-water seaport in Nghi Thiet commune (Nghi Loc). Photo: Thu Giang

Based on such strategic viewpoints, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Xuan Duong proposed to Minister Nguyen Van The 3 groups of recommendations, hoping for support, participation and close companionship from the Ministry of Transport to quickly and effectively remove current "bottlenecks" in the process of investing and implementing a number of urgent transport infrastructure projects in the locality.

Firstly, Nghe An hopes that the Ministry will support the compensation cost for land acquisition and clearance for the project to upgrade and expand National Highway 1 through Nghe An province, estimated at about 472 billion VND; invest in building a different level intersection at National Highway 1 to avoid Vinh City with National Highway 46 and National Highway 46B - the western gateway of the city with a large traffic volume, often causing congestion and unfortunate accidents, with an estimated cost of about 400 billion VND; upgrade and expand National Highway 1, Quan Banh - Ben Thuy section, 9 km long, 17-19m wide, the central axis of Vinh City, invested in since 1999, which is now degraded and sagging, with an estimated cost of about 250 billion VND.

In addition, to speed up the implementation of projects according to Resolution 26 - Politburo, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee proposed the Ministry of Transport to upgrade Vinh International Airport, build an international terminal, expand the aircraft parking lot, extend the current runway to the North to be able to operate large aircraft; continue to allocate capital to upgrade and expand National Highway 15, Nam Dan - Truong Bon section, with 8.7 km of degraded and damaged road; provide about 340 billion VND to upgrade and expand the section Km13+500-Km25+00, National Highway 48B, invested since 2003, currently degraded and damaged; consider supporting capital of about 90 billion VND to invest in the construction of Thanh Nam Bridge (Con Cuong) which is currently damaged, degraded, and has a high risk of insecurity.

According to the conclusion announcement of the Party and State leaders, Nghe An proposed the Minister of Transport to support the construction of a breakwater at Cua Lo deep-water port: Dredging the channel to Cua Lo Port (phase 2); soon promoting the Pac Xan-Vinh expressway, Hanoi - Vinh expressway; implementing the construction of Cua Hoi bridge connecting the two provinces of Nghe An - Ha Tinh.

Nghe An traffic development connects regionally and internationally
Through the inspection of key and urgent works and projects of Nghe An such as National Highway 15 from Nam Dan to Truong Bon (Do Luong), Vissai deep-water port in Nghi Thiet (Nghi Loc) and listening to the proposals and recommendations of the province, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The answered in detail and assigned tasks to affiliated units to join hands to improve the transport system in President Ho Chi Minh's homeland.

For example, regarding the remaining funding for site clearance to expand National Highway 1, the Minister requested the local Compensation Council to actively investigate and complete the dossier to coordinate with the Ministry to report to the Government for resolution, ensuring the rights of the people.

Vinh Airport. Photo: Archive

Regarding the upgrading and expansion of National Highway 15 from Nam Dan to Truong Bon Historical Site, comrade Nguyen Van The emphasized that this is a very important section, assigning the Vietnam Road Administration, the Department of Planning and Investment to coordinate with the Nghe An Department of Transport to review and grasp the traffic volume; handle black spots of traffic accidents on the route to make appropriate adjustments, and soon complete the upgrading and expansion of National Highway 15, contributing to attracting tourists to this red address of revolutionary tradition education.

In addition, regarding the Hanoi - Vientiane expressway, the Ministry of Transport agrees with the province's proposal, considering this a special priority project, and it is very necessary to implement the Pac Xan - Thanh Thuy connection project, connecting the North - South expressway to have an expressway from Hanoi - Vientiane. For this project, the Ministry has coordinated with Laos, worked with the Japanese organization JICA to support the project implementation.

From that perspective, the Minister suggested that the province coordinate with relevant units of the Ministry, consult consulting units to conduct comprehensive, scientific and most effective research, avoid wasteful, fragmented and visionary investment; assign the Maritime Administration to coordinate and help Nghe An re-do the master plan, and review the planning of Cua Lo Port.

Commenting on the Cua Hoi bridge project, Minister Nguyen Van The said that the plan to build a cable-stayed bridge is both costly and impractical in terms of sustainability, so he suggested that units under the Ministry and the two provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh review the form and structure and implement it in the spirit of ensuring aesthetics and saving the budget.

Nghe An province's transportation system. Thu Giang - Thuc Linh

Regarding Vinh International Airport, the Minister of Transport emphasized that it is necessary to manage the airport to ensure continuous and uninterrupted operations. On that basis, the Minister assigned the Civil Aviation Authority to coordinate with Nghe An and the Airports Corporation to review the comprehensive planning of runways, taxiways, aprons, cargo terminals, and passenger terminals for management.

"We must propose directions for land recovery, fences, and proactive management of the entire area to avoid the situation where people build houses and then have no way to stop them," Minister Nguyen Van The emphasized.

The head of the Transport sector also set a requirement for relevant units to complete the goal of having a new, modern, standard station in Vinh city by 2020 at the latest - right on the occasion of the celebration of important national holidays.

The strong leadership of Minister Nguyen Van The and his delegation demonstrated the enthusiasm and responsibility of the head of the Ministry of Transport towards the homeland with a rich revolutionary tradition. When transportation goes first, removing the “bottleneck” will be a solid premise, creating a strong driving force to urge Nghe An’s socio-economic sector to continue to develop sustainably.