4 segments of North-South Expressway to be completed this year

They are part of the first phase of the North-South Expressway, which is divided into 11 components (three PPP projects and eight public investment works).

The 15.2 km Cao Bo - Mai Son in the northern Ninh Binh Province was completed earlier this year, and the remaining 10 are under construction.

Among the four segments to be completed this year, the Mai Son-National Route 45 will be 63.4 km long, pass through Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces and cost more than VND12.1 trillion (US$515.7 million), with the money coming from the government's coffers.

A section of Mai Son-National Route 45 Expressway under construction. Photo by VnExpress/Le Hoang

It begins in Mai Son Commune in Ninh Binh Province's Yen Mo District, links up with the Cao Bo - Mai Son Expressway in the province and runs up to Tan Phuc Commune in Thanh Hoa Province's Nong Cong District.

Its first phase will have four lanes before it is widened to six.

According to the Thang Long Project Management Board, VND4.87 trillion, or 69% of the cost, has been spent so far.

The Cam Lo - La Son Expressway runs more than 98 kilometers between Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue provinces in central Vietnam.

Part of the Cam Lo - La Son Expressway in Thua Thien-Hue Province. Photo by VnExpress/Vo Thanh

To cost nearly VND7.7 trillion, it will have two lanes in the first stage though its overpasses will have four, and work is going on around the clock to finish it on schedule.

According to the HCMC Road Project Management Board, which is managing the construction, the work is nearly 95% complete and final touches are being given to ensure it opens to traffic by the end of October, the Ministry of Transport's deadline.

The 101-km Vinh Hao-Phan Thiet expressway will run through Binh Thuan Province in south central Vietnam.

Construction began in November 2020 and is expected to be finished by the end of this year. It will have six lanes and cost nearly VND11 trillion. According to Project Management Board 7, the work is more than 48% complete but 2% behind schedule.

The construction site of Vinh Hao-Phan Thiet Expressway in Binh Thuan Province in 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Huynh

It was recently delayed by a lack of materials, an increase in costs and early onset of the rainy season.

Some contractors lack funds, equipment, materials, and human resources, and have been urged by the ministry to fulfill their commitments, hire more construction subcontractors and replace inefficient ones.

Work is continuing through the long National Day weekend to ensure it is completed by the end of the year.

The Phan Thiet-Dau Giay Expressway is 99 kilometers long, 47 kilometers in Binh Thuan Province and the rest in Dong Nai that borders HCMC.

A section of Phan Thiet-Dau Giay Expressway in Dong Nai Province. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

Construction began in September 2020 and is expected to be finished by the end of this year at a cost of more than VND12.5 trillion. The highway will be more than 32 m wide and have six lanes.

According to the Thang Long Project Management Board, the project encountered many difficulties due to the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak and the surge in construction material prices.

Inclement weather also posed problems.

But it is nearly 60% complete.

Contractors are currently working overtime, focusing on items that are less affected by the weather such as casting of concrete structures and traffic safety systems.

With four more of the 11 components opening to traffic this year, the remaining six will be completed in 2023 and 2024.