Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha said the decision to invest in expanding the HCMC-Long Thanh Expressway should be based on the progress and economic efficiency, so that the next steps can be implemented – Photo: VGP/MK
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On the morning of May 3, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha chaired a meeting to listen to a report and give opinions on the investment plan to expand the HCMC-Long Thanh section of the HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay expressway project.
The report of the State Capital Management Committee at the Enterprise said that the HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway in phase 1 came into operation on June 30, 2016 with a total length of 55 km, of which the HCMC-Long Thanh section was 25.92 km.
Since its opening, the traffic volume on the HCMC-Long Thanh expressway (from Km 00 to Km 25+920) has continuously increased, and is expected to exceed 25% of the current four-lane capacity in 2025, resulting in frequent congestion.
The expansion of the HCMC-Long Thanh expressway is also aimed at meeting the transportation needs after some key transportation projects are put into operation, such as: Phase 1 of Long Thanh International Airport with a capacity of 26 million passengers/year, Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway, and the development of the Cai Mep-Thi Vai seaport area.
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Canh, Vice Chairman of the State Capital Management Committee at Enterprises said the Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) has studied and proposed to expand the section from the intersection of Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 2 to the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway junction (Km4 to Km25+920) with a scale of 8 lanes, ensuring the possibility of expanding to 10 lanes.
At the meeting, leaders of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ho Chi Minh City, and Dong Nai province said they should consider the investment plan to expand the HCMC-Long Thanh expressway immediately to 10 lanes instead of 8 lanes as proposed.
From the investment plans presented at the meeting, the comments analyzed the consistency with the investment law regulations; investment form; scope, scale of the investment project; authority to approve investment policy, investment project decision; capacity to balance, mobilize capital sources/debt repayment obligations; relationship between the existing project (invested in the form of public investment) and the new investment project, etc.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha emphasized that expanding the HCMC-Long Thanh section is an urgent issue, ensuring consistency with the infrastructure planning and meeting the requirements of socio-economic development. The decision of the investment plan is based on the progress and economic efficiency, so that the next steps can be implemented.
About the plan to assign VEC as the investor, the Deputy Prime Minister directed the State Capital Management Committee at the Enterprises, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Finance, etc. to quickly summarize the operation model of VEC, propose solutions to enhance financial capacity (increase charter capital, restructure debt, etc.), and meet the requirements for implementing key transportation investment projects.
Along with that, VEC needs to urgently develop a pre-feasibility report, plans for capital mobilization, land clearance, and the financial plan of the HCMC-Long Thanh project in relation to other expressway projects that VEC is exploiting…
Reporting to the Prime Minister earlier, the State Capital Management Committee at the Enterprises proposed two investment plans to expand the HCMC-Long Thanh section. Option 1: the section from the Ring Road 2 junction to the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway junction will be expanded to 8 lanes, but 10 lanes will be cleared to be completed when there is sufficient funding. Currently, this section has been cleared for 8 lanes, so it can be implemented immediately.
On the route there are two bridges, namely Song Tac, which will be expanded according to the 10-lane plan, and a 4-lane Long Thanh bridge will be built as the current Long Thanh bridge. The total investment of the project is over 14,330 billion VND.
Option 2: The expressway section from the Ring Road 2 junction to the Ring Road 3, 4 km long, will be invested in with 8 lanes, and the remaining section to the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway junction, 17 km long, will be of 10 lanes. On the route, a new Long Thanh bridge will be built and the entire 10-lane route will be cleared. The total investment under this option is 15,620 billion VND.
The Ministry of Transport will be the competent authority, and VEC will be the investor in accordance with the Law on Public Investment, implemented from now until June 2028. The State Capital Management Committee recommends that the Prime Minister consider option 1 because the project has cleared 8 lanes, and can be built immediately.
