Contractors have mobilized a total of 450 construction rigs, 6,500 workers, and 2,200 equipment suitable for construction conditions in the Mekong Delta region (Photo: VGP)
Most of the projects in the Mekong Delta region are behind schedule by 4-15%, mainly due to a lack of suitable filling material.
At a conference on addressing difficulties and promoting the development of transport infrastructure in the Mekong Delta region on the morning of October 16, reporting to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Duy Lam said that land clearance for the expressways under construction has reached over 99%, basically meeting the construction schedule.
Specifically, for the Ho Chi Minh Road project, land clearance has not yet met the construction requirements (the section through Kien Giang province reached 56%, and through Bac Lieu province reached 82%); The Cao Lanh – Lo Te project is still facing land clearance issues at the Lo Te intersection (in Can Tho city).
“Although the localities have made great efforts, the site clearance has not been completed as required by the Prime Minister in September 2024,” said Deputy Minister Nguyen Duy Lam.
Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Duy Lam at the conference on October 16 – Photo: VGP/Doan Bac
Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Duy Lam reported that in terms of construction deployment, up to now, the contractors have mobilized a total of 450 construction rigs, 6,500 workers, and 2,200 equipment suitable for construction conditions in the Mekong Delta region (the Can Tho – Ca Mau project alone has mobilized 183 rigs, 971 equipment, and 3,000 workers).
However, most of the projects are behind schedule by 4-15%. The main reason is the lack of suitable filling material. This causes a great waste of time and resources of the contractors, affecting the construction efficiency and progress of the projects.
According to the Ministry of Transport, the Can Tho – Ca Mau and Ho Chi Minh Road projects need to complete the load test by December 31, 2024, to be able to complete the projects by December 31, 2025.
“But at present, the Can Tho – Ca Mau project has a daily sand supply capacity of only 54,000 cubic meters out of the required 76,000 cubic meters. As for the Ho Chi Minh Road project, only the construction of bridges and organic excavation have been carried out so far because the procedures for mine allocation have not been completed. Therefore, if the material supply for the projects is not promptly supplemented to meet the required capacity in October 2024, it will be very difficult to guarantee the progress,” said Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Duy Lam.
Regarding capital allocation for the projects, the Ministry of Transport affirmed that the capital basically meets the construction schedule. Specifically, the Cao Lanh – An Huu project needs an additional VND 250 billion, which is being balanced by the local budget of Dong Thap province; The Rach Mieu 2 Bridge project needs an additional VND 1,192 billion, for which the Ministry of Transport has sent a document to the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance for handling.
Difficulties in implementing projects in the Mekong Delta region
Talking about the difficulties in implementing projects in the Mekong Delta region, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Duy Lam reported that during the implementation of the projects, the Ministry of Transport and localities have always received the attention and regular and strong direction of the Government, the Prime Minister, and Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha.
Especially, the Prime Minister has directly inspected the site and worked with the localities five times to direct and give directions to remove difficulties and obstacles and promote the progress of the projects.
However, up to now, the supply of filling material is still facing difficulties. Although the procedures for mining permits have been completed to exploit river sand sources, the mining capacity of the mines is limited and cannot meet the construction schedule. In addition, according to the direction of the Prime Minister, localities (Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Vinh Long, and Soc Trang) need to complete the procedures for mining permits by August 30, but the progress of mining permit procedures has not met the construction schedule.
Moreover, many mines in Tien Giang, Ben Tre, and Soc Trang provinces, after being surveyed and evaluated for quality and reserves, do not meet the requirements and must be replaced by other mines, affecting the progress of mining permits. Some mines in Tien Giang province overlap with the inland waterway channel and its protection corridor, while some mines allocated to contractors in Ben Tre province belong to the mineral exploitation planning period of 2026-2030…
Currently, the exploitation of sea sand at mines in Soc Trang province to serve the construction of the Hau Giang – Ca Mau Expressway has reached about 15,000 cubic meters per day. Although the contractors have mobilized a maximum of vehicles nationwide, due to the low water level, only small-capacity ships can be used, depending on the weather.
