Vietnam is about to have the largest sea bridge in Southeast Asia.

On February 15th, the Ministry of Transport will officially begin construction of the Tan Vu - Lach Huyen bridge (Hai Phong City). The bridge has a total length of 15km, with a 5.44km section crossing the sea, making it the longest sea bridge in Vietnam and the largest in Southeast Asia.

The construction is expected to be completed in 2017. The Tan Vu - Lach Huyen Bridge is part of the Tan Vu - Lach Huyen Highway Project, and is a crucial and essential component of the Lach Huyen Port infrastructure development project.

Thi Nai Lagoon overpass in Binh Dinh province (illustrative image)

The Tan Vu - Lach Huyen highway project utilizes ODA loans from the Japanese government and counterpart funds from the Vietnamese government, with a total investment exceeding 11,800 billion VND. The entire route is over 15 km long, passing through Hai An district and Cat Hai district of Hai Phong city. The project starts at the Tan Vu interchange (Km100+891 of the Hai Phong expressway) and ends at the Lach Huyen port gate.

The 5.44 km long sea bridge section includes 75 approach spans on the Hai An side, each 60m long; 4 main spans (2 spans 150m long, 2 spans 9.5m long) and 9 approach spans on the Cat Hai side, each 60m long. The bridge has a design speed of 80km/h with 4 lanes and 2 safety strips. The approach road section is 10.19 km long, built to the standards of a Class III road in a flat area, with a cross-section width of 29.5 km.

Upon completion, the Tan Vu - Lach Huyen bridge will be the longest sea bridge in Vietnam and one of the largest sea bridges in Southeast Asia. The project aims to reduce travel costs and time, minimize traffic accidents and risks associated with barge transport; reduce maritime traffic accidents and congestion in the Nam Trieu canal; stimulate industrial development along the Hai Phong coast; and boost tourism in the Cat Ba archipelago.

The project is expected to be constructed within 36 months. Upon completion, the project will connect the Tan Vu - Lach Huyen international gateway port of Hai Phong with key areas of the Northeast economic corridor, as well as solve the traffic congestion problem in the Dinh Vu and Cat Hai industrial zones of Hai Phong City.

Yesterday afternoon (February 11th), Project Management Board 2 of the Ministry of Transport and the consortium of Japanese and Vietnamese construction contractors signed package number 6 of the Tan Vu - Lach Huyen highway project.

According to Dan Tri