Will the North-South Expressway rest stops be able to 'finish the finish line' this year?

TPO - With less than 2 months left to "finalize" progress according to the Government's direction, many rest stops on the North-South Expressway in the East are still sluggish, at risk of not being completed on time, directly affecting the plan to collect tolls and operate the entire route synchronously in early 2026.

Site and procedural bottlenecks

According to the Vietnam Road Administration, the North-South Expressway in the East currently has 24 newly invested rest stops, of which 21 have signed contracts with investors for implementation. However, to date, only 16 stations have started construction, and only 3 stations have basically completed public service works including: Ham Nghi - Vung Ang, Vung Ang - Bung and Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet (Km205).

Many other stations are still in the stage of leveling the ground, constructing the foundation or cannot be deployed due to land issues. Notably, 5 stations cannot start construction including Cam Lo - La Son, Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet (Km144), Quy Nhon - Chi Thanh, Hau Giang - Ca Mau and Can Tho - Hau Giang.

A rest stop on the North-South Expressway in the East in mid-September. Photo: Vietnam Road Administration.

The main reason is that the scale of the stations must be adjusted to be much larger than the original design. Previously, each station was only about 1 hectare, but according to Decision 938/2023 of the Ministry of Construction , the area was increased to 3-5 hectares on each side, causing the adjustment procedures, site clearance (GPMB) and investment appraisal to be prolonged, especially in the context of many changes in land regulations.

To date, 15/21 stations have received full land, 6 stations have only partially handed over. Some localities such as Quang Tri, Quang Ngai, Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong and Dong Nai have not yet completed site clearance, causing the construction progress to be "frozen".

In addition, investors' confusion in choosing design consultants, project appraisal, approval and construction organization also makes the implementation process take longer than expected.

Sprint to the finish line

It is known that recently, right after signing the contract with the investors, the Vietnam Road Administration coordinated with the locality and the Project Management Board (PMU) to urge the implementation, remove obstacles, and at the same time report to the Steering Committee of National Key Projects so that the Prime Minister can give timely instructions.

The goal is to complete all public service works at rest stops before December 31 this year, to ensure conditions for toll collection and synchronous operation of the North-South Expressway.

The Department requires investors to establish a detailed schedule, update it weekly, and assign specific responsibilities to the heads of each station, while the Project Management Boards must closely monitor the site to handle technical issues, resolve site problems, and review areas at risk of overlapping with the high-speed railway.

Some positive signs have appeared, as the Ham Nghi - Vung Ang, Vung Ang - Bung and Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet (Km205) stations have been basically completed, expected to be put into operation this November. However, many other stations are still at risk of being "late" if the progress is not accelerated.

Some rest stops on the North-South Expressway have been basically completed and are expected to be put into operation this November. Illustration photo: Loc Lien.

Previously, the Ministry of Construction approved 36 rest stops on the North-South Expressway. In March this year, Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh requested that all public service items must be completed before December 30 to ensure synchronous operation.

To meet this requirement, the Department of Roads has recommended that the Ministry of Construction direct the Project Management Boards and investors to speed up progress, completely resolve existing problems regarding site and finance, coordinate with localities in handing over clean site, ensuring material sources and dumping locations.

The Appraisal Department is required to increase field inspections, monitor progress monthly, and assign personal responsibility to the head of each unit.

Rest stops are considered essential infrastructure serving people and businesses, and are also cultural highlights on the North-South Expressway. However, without drastic measures, this item could become a “bottleneck”, affecting the plan to operate the entire route in 2026.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/cac-tram-dung-nghi-cao-toc-bac-nam-co-kip-ve-dich-nam-nay-post1794484.tpo