Toll increase schedule at two BOT stations at Ben Thuy Bridge

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

This is the second time the Vinh bypass BOT Branch has adjusted the toll to increase the Ben Thuy bridge (the previous adjustment was on June 8, 2014).

Recently, the investment in projects to avoid Vinh city, the old Ben Thuy bridge repair project and the National Highway 1 expansion project from South Ben Thuy to avoid Ha Tinh city have solved traffic congestion in the North of Ha Tinh and the South of Nghe An province, allowing people to travel conveniently and avoid the rainy and flood season...

Synchronously develop the transport infrastructure of the two provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh. And the two toll stations Ben Thuy 1 and Ben Thuy 2 are currently paying back capital for the above 3 projects.

Ben Thuy 2 Bridge Toll Station

According to the representative of the Public-Private Partnership Investment Board (PPP) (Ministry of Transport), the location of the two toll stations to recover capital for the projects has been agreed upon by the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Transport and the People's Committee of Nghe An province. The location of the toll station at Ben Thuy 1 bridge (old) was explained by the representative of the Vinh bypass BOT Branch: "In fact, there are many means of transport passing through the old Ben Thuy bridge and then following Nam Ben Thuy road - Ha Tinh city bypass to the South and vice versa.

Therefore, using the old Ben Thuy bridge station to collect tolls to recover capital for the BOT project to ensure the effectiveness of the project is very necessary, because if this toll station is not placed, it will lead to a situation where vehicles avoid toll collection by entering the inner city, causing congestion and potential traffic accidents in Vinh City, and at the same time making the Vinh bypass route ineffective for investment.

Regarding the project's fee levels and fee increase roadmap, the Finance Department (Ministry of Transport) said 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 collection level through Ben Thuy 1 and Ben Thuy 2 toll stations. In which, the collection level applied is twice the minimum collection level (maximum allowed is 3.5 times).

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

From January 1, 2016, all vehicles passing through Ben Thuy Bridge will be charged a new fee. In particular, vehicles with less than 12 seats, trucks with a load capacity of less than 2 tons and public buses will be charged 45,000 VND/trip; vehicles with 12 to 30 seats, trucks with a load capacity of 2 tons to under 4 tons will be charged 60,000 VND/trip,...

To promote the toll increase, the Vinh Bypass BOT Branch has printed nearly 50,000 leaflets to distribute to vehicle owners and drivers passing through Ben Thuy Bridge. Mr. Ngo Trong Nghia - Deputy General Director of CIENCO4 said: “The application of new toll rates at Ben Thuy 1 and Ben Thuy 2 toll stations from January 1, 2016 is on schedule and in accordance with legal regulations to ensure the project's financial plan. The use of toll revenue at Ben Thuy 1 and Ben Thuy 2 stations is agreed upon by the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Transport and is specifically stipulated in the BOT contract with competent state agencies. Only then can the project's financial plan be ensured.”

Previously, in December 2005, the construction project of the Vinh City bypass with a length of about 25.8km 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 issued a document approving the project investor, Cienco4, to use the old Ben Thuy toll station (now Ben Thuy 1 bridge station) to collect capital recovery fees instead of building a new toll station. The fee collection level of the project is regulated by 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 additional toll station on the road at the beginning of Ben Thuy 2 bridge to collect capital recovery fees for investors from November 15, 2012, together with the Ben Thuy 1 bridge toll station to collect capital recovery fees for the Vinh city bypass investment project. The toll collection level is still applied according to the provisions of Decision No. 46/2005 of the Ministry of Finance.

Then, on January 19, 2014, the project to expand National Highway 1, section Nam Ben Thuy - avoiding Ha Tinh city under the BOT form with a length of about 35.1km, total investment of 2,434 billion VND was put into operation, the revenue from the two toll stations Ben Thuy 1 and Ben Thuy 2 was used to repay the capital for both BOT projects to avoid Vinh and Nam Ben Thuy - avoiding Ha Tinh city. At the same time, to reduce the annual pressure of state capital on road maintenance, on June 17, 2014, the Ministry of Transport issued Decision No. 7098 allowing the addition of management and maintenance of the old Ben Thuy bridge to the BOT contract to build the Vinh bypass and upgrade and expand National Highway 1, section Nam Ben Thuy - avoiding Ha Tinh city. That is the reason for the Vinh bypass BOT branch to adjust the toll collection for all types of vehicles passing Ben Thuy bridge from January 1, 2016.

Khang Nguyen