Vietnam’sMinistry of Transport is budgeting a healthy US$5 billion for work on stage two of the eastern section of the North-South Expressway project. Of this sum, $3 billion is being provided via the state budget for infrastructure investment development. A further $1.974 billion is being provided via Vietnam’s budget for the 2021-2025 period. A budget of $348.5 million was set for site clearance work to be carried out during 2022.
Meanwhile, a proposal has been submitted to Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport for widening work to the Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC)-Long Thanh-Dau Giay expressway. The proposal is to widen a 22km stretch of the route between HCMC and Long Thanh in Dong Nai Province. And the proposal has been put forward by the Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC), which would fund the $610.7 million project from its own sources. If the proposal is accepted, the schedule would see work commencing at the end of 2022 with planned completion due in 2026.
In addition, plans are being drawn up for a fourth bridge spanning the Saigon River in HCMC to link with the Thu Thiem Peninsula. The project is being planned by the Department of Transport of HCMC and would be carried out under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model. Building the 2.2km bridge would cost $220 million, with work on the structure commencing in 2024 and taking until 2028 to complete. The plan is for a 28m-wide structure carrying three lanes in either direction featuring a design speed of 60km/h, a design life of 100 years and the ability to withstand an earthquake measuring 7 on the Richter scale.
