Construction is progressing well on the Dien Chau - Bai Vot section of the North-South Expressway.

The Dien Chau - Bai Vot section construction project is a component of the project to build several...highwayon the North-South East route, phase 2017-2020. The investor of the project is a consortium comprising Hoa Hiep Co., Ltd., CIENCO4 Group Joint Stock Company, Nui Hong Investment Co., Ltd., Truong Son Construction Corporation, and VINA2 Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company.

The project has a total investment capital of approximately VND 11,157 billion, of which about VND 5,090 billion is mobilized by investors, and about VND 6,067 billion is contributed by the State. By early February 2022, the investors had only signed loan agreements with banks to secure sufficient BOT funding. After resolving the funding difficulties, construction on the project commenced simultaneously.

Construction units working on the Than Vu tunnel section passing through Dien Chau. Photo: Tran Chau

Currently, in areas where the land has been cleared, contractors are concentrating materials, machinery, equipment, and mobilizing maximum manpower to expedite construction. Each day, tens of thousands of cubic meters of earth and rock are being excavated and filled. At each contract site, the sounds of machinery are constant, with hundreds of workers on duty. Due to the unfavorable weather this year, with heavy and continuous rain, contractors are taking advantage of favorable weather conditions to maximize construction time, even working at night when it's cooler.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Viet, General Director of Phuc Thanh Hung Investment Joint Stock Company (the project enterprise), stated: The project comprises a total of 12 bidding packages, including 6 consulting packages, 1 insurance package, 4 construction packages, and 1 equipment package. The project enterprise has officially signed contracts for 4 consulting packages, 1 construction insurance package, and 3 construction packages; several other packages are continuing to be implemented according to plan. Currently, the project enterprise has completed the legal framework in accordance with regulations on project management, including project coordination procedures, contractor selection regulations, quality management procedures, and forms…

In hilly areas, contractors are carrying out excavation work to lower the roadbed. Photo: Tien Dong

Regarding the project's difficulties and obstacles, according to Mr. Nguyen Quoc Viet, currently, the available earth fill material quarries are basically sufficient; however, due to uneven distribution, transportation costs are high, and some quarries have much higher prices than the estimated costs, making it very difficult for contractors. As for sand quarries, the reserves are sufficient, but the extraction capacity of these quarries is low, forcing contractors to utilize many different quarries to meet the project schedule.

Furthermore, the biggest challenge currently is the recent dramatic increase in input costs for all types of materials, especially key construction materials such as iron, steel, cement, sand, stone, asphalt, and labor... leading to a 13-15% increase in contract prices. This is causing the total investment cost of the project to increase, creating difficulties for the enterprise implementing the project.

To meet deadlines, contractors are taking advantage of favorable weather conditions, working even at night. The photo shows the construction of the Hung Duc bridge over the Lam River, connecting Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces. Photo: Tran Chau.

Currently, in addition to accelerating construction progress, the project enterprise is also directing contractors to focus intensely on the early implementation of the internal service road system, and currently, 40.30 km of service roads have been constructed along the entire route. To ensure payment volume and meet the conditions for disbursing loans and state capital contributions by June 2022, in the coming period, contractors have determined to mobilize enough additional construction teams according to the established schedule, reinforce equipment at existing construction sites, organize overtime work, and especially immediately add construction teams for weak soil treatment and large bridge construction, such as in the area north of the Than Vu tunnel, Xuan Duong bridge, Hung Duc bridge, and the National Highway 8A intersection…

Reportedly, investors have contributed over 647 billion VND to date for construction. According to the plan for 2022, investors still need to contribute over 824 billion VND according to the construction progress to ensure matching funds and construction.

The North-South Expressway project, specifically the Dien Chau - Bai Vot section, passes through the following districts: Dien Chau (11.44 km); Nghi Loc (7.14 km); Hung Nguyen (25.88 km); and Duc Tho (4.84 km). This includes 40 km of agricultural land (81.2%), 4.65 km of residential land (9.4%), and 4.65 km of forest land (9.4%). A total of 5,916 households are affected, including 1,194 in Dien Chau, 506 in Nghi Loc, 3,633 in Hung Nguyen, and 583 in Duc Tho.

To date, Project Management Board 6 and the local land clearance councils have completed land clearance for 49.22/49.30 km (99.84%) and handed it over to the project enterprise. Currently, there are remaining issues with the power line system along the route and an 80m section passing through a resettlement area in Hamlet 5, Nghi Dong Commune (Nghi Loc District). Upon completion, the road will have 6 lanes, a 32.25m roadbed, and a design speed of 100-120 km/h. Initially, in the phased construction, the project will build a 4-lane road with a 17m roadbed and a design speed of 80 km/h. Since the groundbreaking ceremony in May 2021, after one year of implementation, the highway is gradually taking shape.

The northern section of the Truong Vinh tunnel is now open. Photo: Thanh Yen.