$245-mln upgrade proposed for three Mekong Delta highways

By Cuu Long February 25, 2022 | 12:20 am PT

A degraded section of National Highway 62 in May 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Kien Dinh

National Highway 62 and parts of National Highways 52 and 91C in the Mekong Delta could be upgraded and widened at a cost of VND5.6 trillion (US$245 million).

The Directorate for Roads of Vietnam has sent a proposal for this to the Ministry of Transport.

It estimated the cost of renovating National Highway 62 at VND2.25 trillion, National Highway 52 at VND1.8 trillion and National Highway 91C at VND1.5 trillion.

The work would be done using a VND3.7-trillion loan from the World Bank and VND1.8 trillion from counterpart funds, it said.

National Highway 62, which runs 76 kilometers (47 miles) through the southern province of Long An to the Cambodia border, is seriously downgraded with cracks and other damages and also too narrow for the increasing traffic volume. The directorate proposes to repair it and widen it by two meters to 11 m.

A 39-kilometer section of National Highway 52 in Vinh Long and Tra Vinh provinces will also be upgraded and widened to 12 meters.

Renovation of the 141-kilometer National Highway 91C will be done in two phases, with funding for the work provided by the city.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Duy Lam said the World Bank is committed to financing the projects through its fund for sustainable development of the Mekong Delta.