Study on expanding sections of the North-South Expressway in the East
The Government Office has just issued Document No. 229/TB-VPCP announcing the conclusions of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha at a meeting on the progress of research and investment in expanding sections of the North-South Expressway in the East to the scale of a full expressway.
The announcement stated that, in order to meet the needs of socio-economic development, ensure national security and defense, gradually improve the infrastructure connecting economic and political centers, key economic regions, and implement the policies of the Party, the National Assembly, and the Government, the North-South Expressway project (Eastern section) has been invested in and approximately 1,200km has been completed and put into operation.
However, the development process has given rise to some shortcomings due to the limited scale of 2-lane or 4-lane expressways, such as: potential risks of traffic accidents, traffic congestion, and traffic accidents; failure to meet the needs of economic development, especially given the projected increase in traffic volume due to changes in economic growth targets and the current issuance of the National Technical Standard for Expressways.
Therefore, the Deputy Prime Minister agreed in principle with the Ministry of Construction's proposal to study the expansion of the eastern sections of the North-South Expressway to overcome the aforementioned limitations.
The goal is to commence construction on several component projects in December 2025.
The Deputy Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Construction to take the lead and coordinate with other ministries and agencies to urgently develop and finalize the dossier for submission to the National Assembly at the 9th session of the 15th National Assembly (second phase in June 2025), striving to commence construction on some component projects in December 2025.
In particular, the Deputy Prime Minister noted: Establishing specific principles, criteria, and conditions to clearly identify the target areas and scope of expressway sections requiring comprehensive expansion; ensuring efficiency, suitability to transportation needs, and the ability to balance investment resources.
The sections of the route to be expanded must adhere to the planned scale, comply with regulations, facilitate construction, avoid multiple expansions, and prevent waste of resources.
Simultaneously, review and propose specific mechanisms and policies to accelerate implementation progress and mobilize resources; including specific mechanisms and policies already permitted regarding direct contracting, common construction materials, etc. Review and accurately calculate the total investment and capital requirements for each stage to serve as a basis for considering the feasibility of balancing and allocating funds.
The Ministry of Construction is urged to take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and relevant agencies to develop a toll collection concession plan for completed expressways, including calculations for concessions combined with upgrading and expanding assets according to the plan; and report to the Prime Minister in May 2025.
