When will the project to remove the "bottleneck" section of Kim Dong Street be restarted?

The people continue to submit petitions.

Recently, residents of Yen Binh block, Truong Vinh ward, have complained to Nghe An Newspaper and Radio & Television about the problematic situation on Kim Dong road, specifically the "bottleneck" section from the block's cultural center to Hermann Gmeiner road. The reason is that the project to alleviate this "bottleneck" is still being delayed and prolonged; while traffic pressure on the route is increasing, posing a constant risk of traffic accidents.

Regarding the existing problems and shortcomings on the "bottleneck" section of Kim Dong road, Baonghean.vn previously reported on this in May 2023 through an article:When will the "bottleneck" section of Kim Dong Street be opened?"During this period, the 'bottleneck' section of Kim Dong Street was a narrow alley. With a surface width of only about 3 meters, whenever a 4-seater car passed by, all motorbikes, bicycles, and even pedestrians had to be cautious. The Yen Binh area has about 200 households living close together, and all transportation needs depend on this 'bottleneck' section, so there are many alleys leading to it, thus the risk of traffic accidents is always present."

Subsequently, the review of resettlement land funds and the inventory of land assets for land clearance to proceed with the investment in the Kim Dong road expansion project were carried out by functional units of the former Vinh City.

As of November 2023, the People's Committee of Vinh City (formerly) issued Decision No. 4623/QD-UBND allocating resettlement land in Vinh Phuc block, Hung Phuc ward (formerly) for 10 households in Yen Phuc block whose land was subject to expropriation for the Kim Dong road expansion project. The Vinh City Land Development Center (formerly) also coordinated with the People's Committee of Hung Phuc ward (formerly) to organize several meetings with the affected households to disseminate information on policies, compensation, support, and resettlement.

Approaching the community meetings at this stage, the households involved generally agreed with the policy of implementing the Kim Dong road expansion project; they hoped the city would expedite land clearance and project implementation. At the same time, they considered the resettlement area in the planned park, parking lot, community center, and residential land subdivision area of ​​Vinh Phuc block, Hung Phuc ward, to be in line with their wishes...

Recently, according to residents of Yen Binh ward, the situation at the "bottleneck" section of Kim Dong road has remained virtually unchanged. The road is still a narrow alley and is always congested when cars pass through. Meanwhile, only 2 out of 10 households slated for land clearance have had their houses demolished.

According to Mr. Bui Ngoc Ha, Secretary of the Yen Binh neighborhood in Truong Vinh ward, the residents' continued complaints to the press about the stalled Kim Dong road expansion project are accurate and justified. Kim Dong road has become a major traffic artery, increasing traffic pressure on the "bottleneck" section and posing a safety risk to residents in the area.

“The Yen Binh area is densely populated, and with three schools nearby, traffic at this ‘bottleneck’ section is very unsafe,” said Mr. Bui Ngoc Ha. Regarding the project's implementation, he said that the land clearance and resettlement of households along the route have not yet been completed. Meanwhile, Truong Vinh ward does not yet have a Land Clearance Council to continue the work; moreover, the project's investment funds have not yet been allocated.

“Because the project has dragged on into its fifth term, the ‘bottleneck’ section poses a potential accident risk, so the people in the block are very eager for this project to be completed. As a representative of the Ward People's Council, every time I attend a meeting, I represent the voters in the block and propose solutions to remove obstacles and expedite land clearance for the project. In my opinion, the State and the people need to continue dialogue to complete the land clearance work, and at the same time, investment capital needs to be allocated for implementation. Prolonging this situation will lead to many negative consequences…,” said Mr. Bui Ngoc Ha, Secretary of the Yen Binh Block Party Branch.

The Kim Dong road expansion project has a total length of 433.84m (from the intersection with Nguyen Van Cu road to the intersection with Hermann Gmeiner road); the roadbed is designed to be 18m wide (9m wide road surface, 4.5m wide sidewalks on each side); according to Decision No. 5348/QD-UBND dated November 17, 2022 of the People's Committee of Vinh City, the total investment for the project is 35.88 billion VND.

Focus on resolving obstacles.

According to the People's Committee of Truong Vinh Ward, after the transition to a two-tiered local government system, the implementation of public investment projects in the ward is facing difficulties and obstacles. The Kim Dong road expansion project is one of these challenges.

Specifically, with a total length of 433.84m, the Kim Dong road expansion project has basically completed the first 300m; the remaining section, about 100m at the end intersecting with Hermann Gmeiner road, is facing difficulties with land compensation and clearance. To implement the Kim Dong road expansion project, it is necessary to acquire 10 plots of residential and garden land belonging to 10 households and individuals in Yen Binh block, Hung Phuc ward (formerly), with a total area of ​​2,196.7m².²Specifically, compensation and support plans have been approved for 5 plots of land belonging to 5 households, with a total proposed land acquisition area of ​​959.8m².²With a total compensation and support amount exceeding 29 billion VND for land clearance, these 5 households have now received the money and handed over the land.

Regarding the remaining 5 plots of land (belonging to the households of Mr. Hoang Van Luat, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien; Mr. Dang Thanh Vy; Mr. Chu Van Cong, Ms. Chu Thi Duyen; Ms. Ta Thi Do; and Ms. Tang Thi Sam), there are still difficulties in determining the land ownership; the relevant households have also not yet agreed on the compensation price and resettlement arrangements.

According to Mr. Nguyen Son Tung, Deputy Head of the Economic and Urban Infrastructure Department of Truong Vinh Ward, after the new administration takes office, the compensation and land clearance work for the Kim Dong road expansion project will be the responsibility of the Provincial Land Fund Development Center. However, the Truong Vinh Ward People's Committee has determined that in the coming time, they will coordinate with the Provincial Land Fund Development Center to organize dialogues and persuade the five affected households to agree, in order to complete this task.

Regarding the funding for public investment projects, according to Mr. Nguyen Son Tung, this is also a problem that the Truong Vinh Ward People's Committee is facing. Specifically, to implement public investment projects transferred from the former Vinh City, including the Kim Dong road expansion project, Truong Vinh Ward needs over 1,800 billion VND. However, the budget allocated for public investment projects in 2026 for Truong Vinh Ward is only over 100 billion VND. Therefore, the Truong Vinh Ward People's Committee has reported the actual situation to the Provincial People's Committee to seek guidance.

Mr. Nguyen Son Tung explained: “In 2025, many public investment projects in the area cannot be implemented or disbursed due to obstacles related to compensation and land clearance, or have to be temporarily suspended pending new regulations. Therefore, the capital plan allocated in 2025 is no longer suitable for the actual progress, leading to a situation where some projects will lack funds in 2026. The People's Committee of Truong Vinh Ward has reported to the Provincial People's Committee, requesting permission to extend the undisbursed capital from 2025 to 2026 to ensure progress and completion for projects that meet the requirements. The People's Committee of Truong Vinh Ward has identified the Kim Dong road expansion project as one of these projects, to avoid delays that could affect people's lives and cause public dissatisfaction and complaints…”