The government has finalized the investment plan for the North-South expressway, passing through 20 provinces and cities.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved Plan 1 of the Ministry of Transport to build the North-South expressway, which is over 600 km long, before 2022 and to complete the entire route before 2030.

On May 25th, the Government Office issued a notice summarizing the conclusions of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at a meeting on the investment plan for the North-South expressway project.

The Government Office stated that the Prime Minister agreed with Option 1 as proposed by the Minister of Transport, which involves constructing and expanding 684 km of expressways in Phase 1 by 2022. The total investment is over 140,000 billion VND, of which the state will provide 55,000 billion VND for land acquisition, resettlement, and construction, with the remainder coming from private sector investment.

Phase 2 (from 2023 to 2028) will construct 688 km, with a total estimated investment of 103,000 billion VND. Phase 3 has a total investment of over 69,000 billion VND, completing the remaining sections before 2030.

The national highway network and the North-South expressway.

The head of government noted that, based on the successful experience of the projects to expand National Highway 1A and National Highway 14 through the Central Highlands, land clearance requires the participation of the entire political system in localities in organizing implementation, ensuring synchronicity, efficiency, and timeliness.

The Prime Minister requested that investment phasing be calculated in stages, in line with the actual traffic volume development. However, it is necessary to mark the road boundaries to manage land according to the plan and to have technical solutions to ensure connectivity at interchanges. The Ministry of Transport is urged to promptly adjust the highway development plan, ensuring a long-term vision.

The government has set requirements for the project: to create a North-South expressway that meets the needs of high transport capacity, high speed, and safety; to connect economic and social centers from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City through 20 provinces and cities; to connect economic zones, industrial parks, and seaports to promote socio-economic development in the areas through which the expressway runs, in particular, and the whole country in general; and to reduce pressure and utilize National Highway 1 more effectively.

According to VNE