Vinh - Cua Lo Boulevard Project: A driving force for development and connection

(Baonghean) - Vinh - Cua Lo Boulevard Project is an important project to establish a traffic hub, promote regional connectivity. After completion, it is expected to be a traffic axis connecting the two urban areas of Vinh City and Cua Lo Town, connecting architectural spaces, creating the basis for Vinh to form a city of over 1 million people, attracting investment in construction, promoting socio-economic development of the entire North Central region.

Project scale

The project to build a road connecting Vinh - Cua Lo has a total length of 10.832 km, starting point km0+00 intersecting Truong Van Linh Street - Vinh City, ending point km10+832 intersecting Binh Minh Street - Cua Lo Town, passing through Vinh City (3.4 km), Nghi Loc District (4.8 km) and Cua Lo Town (2.632 km).

The project section through Cua Lo town has been opened, creating a modern landscape. Photo: Pham Bang

Previously, the Vinh - Cua Lo Boulevard Project (approved by the Provincial People's Committee in Decision No. 994/QD-UBND-CN dated March 3, 2010 and approved for adjustment on May 2, 2012) had a total investment of VND 4,157 billion from the state budget with a length of 10.832 km, according to urban main street standards. From 2012 to present, the project has allocated VND 563 billion, of which VND 400 billion is borrowed from the State Treasury, VND 163 billion from the provincial budget to implement site clearance on the entire route and construction of package No. 5, over 3km long. Currently, 6.4/10.8km of land has been cleared, mainly sections passing through agricultural land. Regarding construction, 3.05km of the section passing through Cua Lo town has been constructed, reaching 46% of the volume.

However, with the Government only allocating 1,100 billion VND from the medium-term capital source, the Vinh - Cua Lo Boulevard project was forced to adjust its scale compared to the original. Therefore, the project's roadbed scale was adjusted from 160m to 95m.

Due to the importance of the route, at the meetings of the Provincial People's Committee on project implementation, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Xuan Duong requested relevant departments, branches and localities to focus on completing procedures, speeding up construction progress to ensure completion of phase 1 asphalt concrete by the end of 2018.

The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee emphasized: Vinh - Cua Lo Boulevard is a key project, a growth pole of the province. However, in the context of limited budget, adjusting the project scale is necessary (this project has been allocated medium-term capital from government bonds and provincial budget with a total approved investment of 1,411 billion VND). Although the planning has been adjusted, the boundary of 160m must still be maintained. Relevant departments and branches need to develop a 1/500 scale plan (planning land fund associated with the road), planting trees in the surrounding area, and calling for BT investment to implement phase 2. Strive to open the route by the end of 2018.

Location of Vinh - Cua Lo boulevard on the map.

The goal for Vinh to become a city of 1 million people

The Vinh - Cua Lo Boulevard project is a key project, a traffic axis quickly connecting two urban areas, Vinh city and Cua Lo town, which is extremely important in forming an architectural space axis, creating a basis for attracting investment, promoting socio-economic development of the whole region, contributing significantly to the implementation of the project to develop Vinh city by 2020 into an economic - cultural center of the North Central region.

Mr. Hoang Thanh Tung - Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghi Phu Commune (Vinh City), a commune with a road passing through the area, shared: Currently, there are many key projects passing through the area, including the Vinh - Cua Lo Boulevard Project. The opening of traffic routes is helping the locality develop, people have many opportunities to expand and develop services. In general, the local government and people are looking forward to the project, hoping that after the completion of the road, it will not only promote the socio-economic development of Nghi Phu Commune, Vinh City, but also for the whole region...

This route is identified as important, becoming a driving force for development, connecting Vinh city, Cua Lo tourist town, as well as creating new architectural space, thereby creating a basis for the province to focus on attracting investment projects on both sides of this route. When the project is completed, it will also contribute to the successful implementation of the Project to develop Vinh city into an economic and cultural center of the North Central region by 2020 in the spirit of Resolution 26/NQ-TW of the Politburo approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 2468/QD-TTg dated December 29, 2015.

Cross-sectional diagram of Vinh - Cua Lo boulevard project route.

Talking to us, Mr. Ha Thanh Tinh - Vice Chairman of Vinh City People's Committee said: Resolution 26-NQ/TW of the Politburo clearly states that Vinh city is a type I urban area, the core of the urbanization process and the driving force for economic and social development of Nghe An and the North Central economic region; must build its position as the center of the North Central region in terms of finance, trade, tourism, science - technology, information technology, high-tech industry, health, culture, sports, education and training and is an important traffic hub of the whole region. The development goal for Vinh city must be placed in a spatial relationship with Cua Lo town, with the Southeast Economic Zone and with Nam Dan, Uncle Ho's hometown, to become the growth axis of Nam Nghe - Bac Ha. The most important thing for Vinh to form a city of over 1 million people is the establishment of a traffic hub, promoting regional connectivity, because Vinh connects with Cua Lo town in the future to become a coastal city.

Thus, the investment in the construction of the Vinh - Cua Lo road, completed early, will create a continuous connection between the traffic axes. From there, it opens a new direction of development from urban to sea and vice versa. More importantly, it is this connection that allows Vinh City and neighboring localities to call for investment, effectively exploit the land potential in the Eastern region, and build this area into a bustling urban area in the future...

To speed up the project's progress and put the route into operation soon, the Department of Transport, Vinh City People's Committee and related departments and agencies are actively working to remove difficulties and focus on site clearance to serve the construction of the project.

Thu Huyen - Pham Bang