Urgent Upgrading of Expressways Currently under Investment
An official letter sent to Minister of Public Security, Minister of Transport, Minister of Planning and Investment, Minister of Finance, Minister of Science and Technology, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Chairman of the State Capital Management Committee at enterprises, Chairman of Provincial People’s Committees and People’s Committees of centrally-run cities.
At the 13th Party Congress, infrastructure development has been identified as one of the three strategic breakthroughs, creating new development space and momentum, promoting socio-economic development, ensuring national defense and security. The Party has set a target for the country to have about 5,000km of expressways by 2030. In recent times, the Party Central Committee and localities have made great efforts to implement expressway construction projects. Up to now, nearly 1,900km of expressways have been put into operation nationwide, with ongoing efforts to have over 3,000km of expressways by 2025.
The capital demand for investing in the expressway system is very large, while resources are still limited. To meet the socio-economic development needs of localities and regions, the Ministry of Transport and localities have conducted research and proposed phased investment in several expressway routes. The early operation of expressway routes has contributed to the socio-economic development. However, the operation of phased expressway routes still faces a number of challenges such as the risk of traffic safety incidents, traffic congestion, and accidents (such as the accident that occurred on February 18, 2024, on the Cam Lo – La Son expressway route).
Urgently upgrading expressways under phased investment
The Prime Minister has issued several directives to ministries, research agencies, and entities to address these challenges. To urgently implement effective and timely solutions, overcome existing limitations, enhance traffic safety, and improve the efficiency of expressway operation, the Prime Minister requests:
The Minister of Transport shall direct the functional agencies to promptly study the most reasonable, scientific, effective traffic organization solutions and best traffic control on phased expressways, ensuring the safety of traffic, lives, health, and assets of the people;
Take the lead and coordinate with relevant localities to urgently study investment plans, upgrade the expressways that have been invested in the phased plan to achieve complete high-speed expressways in accordance with the design standards and transportation needs as directed by the Prime Minister in the above-mentioned documents; focus on the earliest investment in two-lane expressway routes. At the same time, review and supplement all necessary and synchronized infrastructure on the routes (such as intelligent transportation systems, rest stops, etc.); report to the Prime Minister in March 2024;
Urgently coordinate with the Minister of Science and Technology to guide the construction and issuance of national technical standards for expressways in the first quarter of 2024 as a basis for organizing planning, design, investment management, construction and safe and efficient operation of expressways.
Urgently organize acceptance tests and settlement of investment projects of expressways under phased regulations to promptly realize investment and upgrade them to complete high-speed expressways in accordance with the standards and regulations of expressways.
Take the lead and coordinate with relevant localities in identifying the scope, boundary, and area of land already cleared and the area that still needs to be cleared to implement investment and upgrade of expressways to complete high-speed expressways, especially for two-lane expressway routes.
For the Chairpersons of Provincial People’s Committees and People’s Committees of centrally-run cities, urgently study and propose investment plans, upgrade the expressways that have been and are being invested in the phased plan, and send them to the Ministry of Transport before March 15, 2024; closely coordinate with the Ministry of Transport to review and implement land clearance for investment and upgrade of expressways.
The Chairman of the State Capital Management Committee at enterprises shall direct the Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) to urgently study and propose investment plans, upgrade the expressways under its management and operation according to the phased plan, and send them to the Ministry of Transport before March 15, 2024.
The Minister of Planning and Investment shall proactively coordinate with the Minister of Transport, the Minister of Finance, and the Chairpersons of Provincial People’s Committees and People’s Committees of centrally-run cities to propose the allocation of capital sources for early implementation of investment in upgrading the expressways under phased operation…
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha is assigned to directly guide the ministries, agencies, and localities in implementing the tasks assigned by the Prime Minister in this Official Letter in order to accelerate the progress of investment in upgrading the expressways under operation and under phased investment.
