Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc issued the order to start construction of the North-South Expressway project.

All three projects Mai Son - QL45, Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet, Phan Thiet - Dau Giay were simultaneously started in Thanh Hoa, Binh Thuan and Dong Nai provinces, where the route passes through.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony of the North-South Mai Son - National Highway 45 expressway project. Photo: Quang Hieu

Speaking at the project groundbreaking ceremonyNorth-South ExpresswayRegarding the Mai Son - National Highway 45 section in Ha Long commune, Ha Trung district (Thanh Hoa), Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that September 30 is a meaningful day for the country and the transport sector when simultaneously implementing the North - South expressway projects in the East under the form of public investment.

This October, the Ministry of Transport will coordinate with relevant agencies to continue completing documents to start construction of 5 investment projects under the public-private partnership (PPP) form of the entire project.

"If the projects are completed during this term, there will be nearly 2,000 km of expressway, from Lang Son to Ca Mau Cape... I request the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance to handle capital issues so that we can successfully build the expressway network.

"The poor must also do transportation, the well-off must also do transportation, the richer they are, the more they must do transportation. Without transportation, it is difficult to develop fully," the Prime Minister emphasized.

According to the Prime Minister, the Mai Son - National Highway 45 project is 45 km long but is very important to the provinces of Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa,Nghe An

The Prime Minister praised the efforts of ministries and localities related to the North-South expressway projects, especially the Ministry of Transport, in preparing to speed up procedures to soon start the project.

The Prime Minister requires subcontractors to fulfill their responsibilities, not to do things carelessly, not to do things badly, not to leave bad reputations, not to sell contracts to subcontractors for profit; not to use poor quality materials and not to violate approved technical standards...

The Prime Minister and leaders of ministries, branches and localities gave the order to start the project. Photo: Quang Hieu

“Any contractor who does bad work must be strictly dealt with, the role of the consultant must be highlighted, and the project must be closely monitored and inspected. Lessons learned from the Da Nang - Quang Ngai expressway project when implementing other North - South expressway projects.

In addition, the Prime Minister also requested that localities take advantage of development opportunities from highways, connecting with economic and industrial zones, creating favorable conditions for people's lives.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Deputy Minister of Transport Le Dinh Tho said that the three sections of the North-South Expressway that were started today, with the investment form changed from BOT to public investment, will have the effect of stimulating the economy in the context of the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic. The projects were assigned by the Government to the Ministry of Transport to exercise the authority of the investment decision maker.

It is expected that the 3 projects starting construction today will be completed by the end of 2022, along with other component projects, gradually forming a modern, high-capacity, safe, high-speed expressway on the Eastern North-South route, meeting transportation needs; connecting economic and political centers, especially the 3 key economic regions, economic zones, and key industrial parks; gradually completing the synchronous traffic infrastructure.

The completed projects also contribute significantly to reducing traffic congestion and accidents, connecting and promoting the effectiveness of the road sections that have been and are being invested in; creating conditions for socio-economic development for the localities where the projects pass through; in line with the orientation and planning of transport development.

The commencement of the above 3 component projects demonstrates the sense of responsibility and high determination of the Ministry of Transport to implement the policy of the Government and the Prime Minister on implementing tasks and solutions to continue removing difficulties for production and business, promotingdisbursement of public investment capital, improve social security, create jobs, effectively implement the dual goal of "Both fighting the epidemic and developing the economy in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic".