How long will the Le Hong Phong Street sidewalk renovation project remain stalled?

The land clearance process remains at a standstill.

The progress of the Le Hong Phong Street sidewalk renovation project was previously reported by Nghe An Online Newspaper on October 4, 2024, in an article."Due to land acquisition issues, the 'electric spiderweb' of electricity on Le Hong Phong Street (Vinh City) will be difficult to clean before October 31st as planned.".

Regarding construction work atLe Hong Phong Road Renovation ProjectAccording to reports from relevant units submitted to the Vinh City People's Committee at the end of October 2024, only the section from Nguyen Van Cu Street to the Customs roundabout has completed the undergrounding of power and telecommunication cables, and the removal of old power poles on the road.

For the remaining section from Nguyen Van Cu Street to Le Loi Street, the dismantling of telecommunication cables from Le Viet Luong Street to Kim Dong Street has been completed; dismantling is currently underway for the sections from Nguyen Van Cu Street to Le Viet Luong Street and from Kim Dong Street to Le Loi Street. From Le Viet Luong Street to Le Loi Street, the 0.4kV electrical system has been installed, including the installation of electrical cabinets, main trunk cables, and cables to households. A plan for switching off the power supply to transfer the grid to the underground system has also been finalized.

The section from Nguyen Van Cu Street to Le Viet Luong Street has completed the installation of meter cabinets and is currently laying the main trunk cable and cables to households; it is expected to be completed before November 30, 2024, for the section without land clearance issues.

Specifically, the section from Muong Thanh Hotel to Nguyen Van Cu Street has not yet been able to carry out underground cabling, drainage system construction, or road widening due to ongoing land clearance issues.

Regarding land clearance work and related difficulties and obstacles, in the section passing through Truong Thi ward, there are 5 households within the land clearance area. As of September 27, 2024, compensation plans for land clearance have been approved for 4 households/individuals.

However, when the City Land Development Center invited the households to receive compensation (October 11, 2024), only two households accepted the money; the remaining two refused and continued to submit petitions regarding the compensation price. Given this situation, the Truong Thi Ward People's Committee had to coordinate with relevant units to continue disseminating information and persuading the households to agree to the compensation plan approved by the competent authority. Regarding the remaining household, due to a request for land allocation with land use fees, the City Land Development Center is coordinating with relevant units to handle the matter according to the provisions of the 2024 Land Law.

Along the section passing through Hung Binh ward, there are a total of 22 households within the land clearance area. To date, 7 households have submitted their compensation and land clearance plans to the relevant departments of the Vinh City People's Committee for appraisal. However, based on the appraisal documents from these departments, due to issues related to land limits, the difference between actual land and land granted in land use right certificates, and the inclusion of garden land in the land acquisition, the Vinh City People's Committee submitted Document No. 6017/UBND-TCKH dated October 17, 2024 to the Provincial People's Committee requesting an alternative support mechanism.

Regarding the 10 households for whom the land compensation plan has been publicly announced (including 5 households with small land acquisition areas and an affected depth of less than 1 meter), the City Land Development Center is finalizing the dossiers for submission to specialized departments for appraisal. The remaining 5 households have small land acquisition areas that do not affect on-site construction. In addition, land clearance for the Inspection Center (Department of Construction) is awaiting guidance and support from the Provincial People's Committee. For the case of Mr. Bach Ngoc Lan's family, the City Land Development Center has completed the inventory of assets and is currently awaiting the family's request for adjustment and re-issuance of the land use right certificate. Only after the re-issuance can the compensation plan be compiled, submitted for appraisal, and approved. Regarding Mr. Hoang Van Luan's family, who has filed a complaint, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment is currently continuing to handle the complaint...

Propose design adjustments.

In the article"Due to land acquisition issues, the 'electric spiderweb' of electricity on Le Hong Phong Street (Vinh City) will be difficult to clean before October 31st as planned."According to Nghe An Newspaper, due to difficulties in land clearance, since September 2024, the Vinh City People's Committee has proposed to the Department of Construction a plan to adjust the design of the southern route, the section from Muong Thanh Hotel to Nguyen Van Cu Street.

Specifically, in Document No. 5491/UBND-QLĐT dated September 20, 2024, along with a report on the difficulties and obstacles in land clearance for the Le Hong Phong road sidewalk renovation project, leading to prolonged construction progress and potential negative consequences, the Vinh City People's Committee proposed that the Department of Construction consider and provide feedback on adjusting the design of several project items, including: "Adjusting the centerline of the drainage ditch south of Le Hong Phong road (section from Km1+047.14 to Km1+329) from the sidewalk area to the widened road lane. Adjusting the design for undergrounding the telecommunications system (to the existing drainage ditch location) to conform with the adjusted drainage ditch design and ensure sufficient construction space to expedite the dismantling of existing power and telecommunications poles. Adjusting and supplementing some household electricity items as requested by Vinh Power Company."

It has been learned that on October 7, 2024, the Department of Construction issued Document No. 4278/SXD-QLXD in response to the People's Committee of Vinh City. In this document, the Department of Construction stated: "We request that the People's Committee of Vinh City prioritize land clearance to ensure the construction of the rainwater drainage ditch south of Le Hong Phong road (section from Km1+47.14 to Km1+329) according to the approved design. Only if land clearance is not possible should we consider adjusting the design of this ditch. Furthermore, the adjusted design must ensure technical requirements are met and minimize construction costs."

By October 15, 2024, due to the lack of progress in land clearance, the People's Committee of Vinh City continued to issue Document No. 5917/UBND-QLDA detailing the related difficulties and requesting the Department of Construction to consider and approve the revised design plan for the drainage ditch section from Km1+047.14 to Km1+329.1.

Regarding land clearance work, according to the Vinh City People's Committee, the most difficult issue currently is resolving complaints (including Mr. Hoang Van Luan's household, who is filing a second complaint regarding the origin of land use; the City People's Committee has had to establish a working group to verify the matter; Mr. Nguyen Van Loi's household, who has a complaint regarding the origin of land use and compensation price; the Hung Binh Ward People's Committee is handling this complaint; Mr. Bach Ngoc Lan's household was issued an incorrect land title; the Hung Binh Ward People's Committee is advising the Vinh City People's Committee on a solution).

In Document No. 5917/UBND-QLDA, the People's Committee of Vinh City stated: "The compensation and land clearance work for the Le Hong Phong road project will have to be extended, and is expected to be completed only by the end of the second quarter of 2025, and cannot be completed in 2024 as planned."

Therefore, the People's Committee of Vinh City proposes: "To ensure drainage for the area, it is necessary to connect the drainage ditch south of Le Hong Phong Street to ditch No. 2 and complete the undergrounding of the overhead technical infrastructure system. The People's Committee of Vinh City respectfully requests the Department of Construction of Nghe An Province to consider and agree on the following plan to adjust the design of the ditch section from Km1+047.14 - Km1+329.1: Shift the ditch south of Le Hong Phong Street, from the intersection of Muong Thanh Hotel and Nguyen Van Cu Street, from its current position on the sidewalk to the widened road area; initially, carry out the undergrounding of the technical infrastructure system according to the current layout to ensure the removal of existing electrical cables, telecommunication cables, and poles."

At the same time, they pledged to "direct the City Land Development Center, the People's Committee of Hung Binh Ward, the People's Committee of Truong Thi Ward, and relevant departments and agencies to expedite the land clearance process to ensure the project's progress and investment objectives are met."

According to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Phong, Director of the Vinh City Investment and Construction Project Management Board, the consulting unit is currently urgently designing adjustments to the rainwater drainage ditch south of Le Hong Phong road, from Km1+47.14 to Km1+329. The requirements of the adjusted design include burying power and telecommunication cables underground and must adhere to the directives of the Department of Construction, ensuring technical requirements are met while minimizing construction costs.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Phong said: "The Le Hong Phong sidewalk renovation project is behind schedule, potentially leading to unforeseen consequences for traffic and affecting urban aesthetics; meanwhile, this is one of the projects to celebrate the Party Congress at all levels for the 2025-2030 term. Therefore, we are urging the consulting unit to focus on completing the revised design plan to submit to the Department of Construction for comments, and then proceed with completion…".