Schedule for fee increases at the two Ben Thuy Bridge BOT toll stations.

(Baonghean) - Implementing Circular 51/2014 of the Ministry of Finance on regulations on the collection rates, collection methods, management and use of road tolls, from January 1, 2016, the BOT branch of the Vinh bypass will adjust and increase the toll rates for all types of vehicles crossing the Ben Thuy bridge.

This is the second time the Vinh Bypass BOT branch has adjusted the toll fee for crossing the Ben Thuy bridge (the previous adjustment was on June 8, 2014).

In recent times, investments in projects such as the Vinh City bypass, the repair of the old Ben Thuy bridge, and the expansion of National Highway 1 from the south of Ben Thuy to the Ha Tinh City bypass have resolved traffic congestion in northern Ha Tinh and southern Nghe An provinces, allowing people to travel more conveniently and avoid the rainy season and floods.

The synchronized development of transportation infrastructure in the two provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh is underway. The two toll stations, Ben Thuy 1 and Ben Thuy 2, are currently recouping the investment for the three aforementioned projects.

Ben Thuy 2 Bridge Toll Station

According to a representative of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Investment Board (Ministry of Transport), the locations of the two toll stations to recoup investment for the projects have been agreed upon by the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Transport, and the People's Committee of Nghe An province. The representative of the Vinh Bypass BOT Branch explained the placement of the toll station at the old Ben Thuy 1 bridge: "In reality, many vehicles travel across the old Ben Thuy bridge and then follow the Nam Ben Thuy - Ha Tinh City bypass road southward and vice versa."

Therefore, using the old Ben Thuy bridge toll station to collect tolls to recoup the investment for the BOT project is essential to ensure the project's effectiveness. Without this toll station, vehicles would avoid paying tolls by entering the city center, causing congestion and potential traffic accidents in Vinh City, and simultaneously rendering the Vinh bypass route ineffective.

Regarding the project's toll rates and increase schedule, the Finance Department (Ministry of Transport) stated that, based on the project's capital recovery plan, the Ministry of Finance issued Circular 51 dated April 24, 2014, allowing Cienco4 to adjust the toll rates at the Ben Thuy 1 and Ben Thuy 2 toll stations. Specifically, the applied rate is twice the minimum rate within the framework (maximum allowed is 3.5 times).

Specifically, Circular 51 stipulates that from the effective date of the circular (June 8, 2014) until December 31, 2015, the toll rates for vehicles passing through the Ben Thuy 1 and Ben Thuy 2 toll stations are as follows: vehicles with fewer than 12 seats, trucks with a load capacity of less than 2 tons, and public passenger buses are 30,000 VND/trip; vehicles with 12 to 30 seats, trucks with a load capacity from 2 tons to less than 4 tons are 40,000 VND/trip,...

From January 1st, 2016, new toll rates will apply to vehicles crossing the Ben Thuy Bridge. Specifically, vehicles with fewer than 12 seats, trucks with a payload of less than 2 tons, and public buses will be charged 45,000 VND per trip; vehicles with 12 to 30 seats, and trucks with a payload of 2 to less than 4 tons will be charged 60,000 VND per trip, and so on.

To publicize the fee increase, the Vinh Bypass BOT branch printed nearly 50,000 leaflets to distribute to vehicle owners and drivers traveling across the Ben Thuy Bridge. Mr. Ngo Trong Nghia, Deputy General Director of CIENCO4, stated: “The application of the new fee rates at Ben Thuy Bridge 1 and Ben Thuy Bridge 2, effective from January 1, 2016, is in line with the schedule and complies with legal regulations to ensure the project's financial viability. The use of revenue from the Ben Thuy 1 and Ben Thuy 2 toll stations has been agreed upon by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport, and is specifically stipulated in the BOT contract with the relevant state agencies. Only in this way can the project's financial viability be guaranteed.”

Previously, in December 2005, the Vinh City bypass project, approximately 25.8km long, from the north of Quan Hanh town (Km448+800) to the old Ben Thuy bridge (Km467+056, National Highway 1), with a total investment of 378 billion VND, was put into operation. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport approved the project's investor, Cienco4, to use the old Ben Thuy toll station (now Ben Thuy Bridge 1 toll station) to collect tolls for capital recovery instead of building a new toll station. The toll rates for the project were regulated according to Decision No. 46 dated July 14, 2005, of the Ministry of Finance.

By September 2012, when the Ben Thuy 2 bridge project was completed and connected to the Vinh bypass, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport agreed to allow the construction of an auxiliary toll station on the approach road to the Ben Thuy 2 bridge to collect tolls to recoup the investor's investment from November 15, 2012, in conjunction with the Ben Thuy 1 bridge toll station to collect tolls to recoup the investment for the Vinh city bypass project. The toll rates continued to be applied according to the regulations of Decision No. 46/2005 of the Ministry of Finance.

Subsequently, on January 19, 2014, the BOT project to expand National Highway 1, specifically the section from Nam Ben Thuy to bypass Ha Tinh City, with a length of approximately 35.1 km and a total investment of VND 2,434 billion, was put into operation. The revenue from the two toll stations, Ben Thuy 1 and Ben Thuy 2, was used to recoup the investment for both the Vinh bypass and the Nam Ben Thuy - Ha Tinh City bypass BOT projects. Simultaneously, to reduce the annual pressure on state capital for road maintenance, on June 17, 2014, the Ministry of Transport issued Decision No. 7098, allowing the inclusion of management and maintenance of the old Ben Thuy bridge into the BOT contract for the construction of the Vinh bypass and the upgrading and expansion of National Highway 1, section from Nam Ben Thuy to bypass Ha Tinh City. This is the reason why the Vinh bypass BOT branch adjusted and increased the toll rates for all types of vehicles crossing the Ben Thuy bridge starting from January 1, 2016.

Khang Nguyen