Mekong Delta localities contribute $185 mln to build expressway

Legislators in Soc Trang Province passed a resolution on Friday to allocate VND1 trillion of the provincial budget to clear a site for Chau Doc – Can Tho – Soc Trang Expressway.

Soc Trang Chairman Tran Van Lau said the fund is a "significant challenge" but for the general development of Mekong Delta, the province promises to fulfill the commitment.

On the same day, An Giang legislators agreed on spending VND1.38 trillion of the provincial budget to clear a site for the expressway’s section in the province.

Hau Giang authorities on Thursday decided to use VND823 billion for site clearance while the Can Tho City administration said its legislative unit will hold a meeting later this month to pass a resolution on extracting VND1.1 trillion of the city’s budget to clear a site for the expressway here.

Chau Doc – Can Tho – Soc Trang Expressway will run 57 kilometers in An Giang, 37 kilometers in Can Tho, 37 kilometers in Hau Giang and 58 kilometers in Soc Trang.

Costing a total VND44.7 trillion, it will be built using the state budget.

As planned by the Ministry of Transport, work on the project will start within next year for the first phase to be completed in 2026. In this phase, the route will span 17 meters wide to have four lanes, allowing vehicles to move at the maximum speed of 80 kph.

In the second phase, set to be completed in 2030, the expressway will be expanded to six lanes of 32 meters wide.

The government in March passed a master plan until 2030 to develop Mekong Delta into a key economic region, including major infrastructure developments.

The plan said by 2030, the region would have 830 kilometers (515 miles) of expressways, including new and upgraded routes, and 4,000 kilometers of national highways, according to the Master Plan for Mekong Delta Development in the 2021-2030 period.