The Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway project is behind schedule due to a sand shortage.

On November 4th, the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Can Tho City, Nguyen Van Hoa, along with representatives from various departments and agencies, conducted surveys, inspections, and urged the progress of key transportation projects. These included two multi-billion dollar infrastructure projects managed by the Investment and Construction Project Management Board for Transportation and Agriculture: Component 4 of the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang Expressway Project (Phase 1) and the East-West Economic Development Axis Road Project in Soc Trang Province.

The first layer of crushed stone base has been laid on the expressway, marking the transition to the roadbed and surface construction phase. Photo: Thanh Sang/TTXVN

According to a report by the Can Tho City Department of Finance, the biggest obstacle hindering the progress of Component 4 of the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang Expressway is the supply of sand. The total sand requirement for the project is very large, reaching 8.1 million m3. Although 9 river sand mines have been licensed for exploitation with a total reserve of approximately 8.95 million m3, as of October 30, 2025, the total volume extracted only reached nearly 2.8 million m3, leaving a shortage of about 5.3 million m3 of sand.

The objective reasons cited are that the former Soc Trang province was located downstream, so the quality of many river sand mines did not meet requirements. In addition, the project was implemented in an area with weak soil, requiring a large volume of sand for embankment. Soc Trang province also previously lacked quarries for stone and clay for embankment construction, requiring materials to be transported from other provinces, affecting the progress and cost of construction.

The sand shortage has resulted in a limited overall construction progress. The total value of work completed on the four construction packages of Component Project 4 has only reached VND 3,408 billion out of a total of VND 8,092 billion, equivalent to 42.1% of the contract value and 11.7% behind schedule. The disparity is clear: the bridge construction, which is less dependent on sand for embankment, has reached 79.4% completion, while the road construction, which requires sand for embankment, has only achieved 25.1% of its value.

All four bidding packages recorded delays, including Package No. 09 (18% behind schedule), Package No. 10 (10.7% behind schedule), Package No. 11 (12.5% ​​behind schedule), and Package No. 12 (10.9% behind schedule). With the difficulties regarding sand supply still unresolved, shortening the timeline to essentially complete the project by July 2026 is very challenging.

To address the material shortage, investors and contractors are simultaneously pursuing multiple solutions. Regarding sea sand, the People's Committee of Soc Trang province previously granted a Certificate of Approval to the sea sand mine in Sub-area B1.4 (Construction Corporation No. 1) with a registered exploitation reserve of 2 million cubic meters. The contractor is currently urgently completing the necessary documents and procedures and preparing the equipment to begin exploitation soon. However, using saline sand is a new solution that requires careful study of technical and environmental factors.

Simultaneously, the solution of reallocating sand resources is also being implemented after the Government issued Resolution No. 66.4/2025/NQ-CP on the promulgation of specific mechanisms and policies to overcome difficulties in the implementation of the 2024 Law on Geology and Minerals. This Resolution allows the reallocation of river sand already allocated to the Eastern North-South Expressway Project to Component Project 4. The investor is coordinating with relevant units to prepare the necessary documents and procedures for requesting the reallocation of sand. In addition, the investor also requested the Department of Construction to promptly consider and announce the price of sand materials at commercial mines MS01 and MS04 and to establish the machine hour rates for some types of machinery used in sand mining.

In contrast to the difficulties regarding materials, land clearance for Component Project 4 has generally progressed according to plan and has reached 100%. Specifically, the section through Soc Trang province has had 329.44/329.44 hectares handed over, and the section through Hau Giang province has had 2.34/2.34 hectares handed over. Regarding disbursement, out of the more than 3,114 billion VND planned capital for 2025, the project has disbursed 1,145 billion VND, reaching 33.5% of the annual plan. Cumulatively from the beginning of the project to date, the total disbursement has reached 4,917 billion VND out of a total of 7,186 billion VND allocated capital, reaching 68.4%.

For the East-West Economic Development Axis Road project in Soc Trang province (formerly), construction progress has entered the completion phase. The cumulative value of work completed to date is approximately VND 1,407 billion out of a total contract value of VND 1,435.8 billion, reaching 98%. Most major items have been completed, including asphalt paving of 55.5/56.678 km (98%), concrete pouring for 44/44 bridges (100%), and 100% completion of culvert construction. The additional 3 branch lines were recently commenced on October 9, 2025. The only remaining difficulty or obstacle concerns land clearance in the former Vinh Chau town area, but this does not affect construction.

Component Project 4 of the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang Expressway is a Group A project, a Class I transportation project, with a total investment of VND 11,961 billion. The route has a total length of 58.37 km, passing through Hau Giang and Soc Trang provinces. Phase 1 of the project is divided into investment phases with 4 lanes, a cross-section of 17m, and will be completed with 6 lanes, a cross-section of 32.25m; land clearance will be carried out in one go according to the scale of 6 lanes. The project commenced before June 30, 2023, and aims to basically complete the entire route by 2026, putting it into synchronous operation in 2027.

Meanwhile, the East-West Economic Development Axis Road Project in Soc Trang province is also a Group A project, a Class III transportation project, with a total investment of 2,000 billion VND. This road has a total length of 56.678 km, including 44 bridges, passing through four localities: Nga Nam town, Thanh Tri district, My Xuyen district, and Vinh Chau town.

After directly inspecting the construction site, the Vice Chairman of the Can Tho City People's Committee, Nguyen Van Hoa, requested the Project Management Board for Investment in Construction of Transportation and Agricultural Works and the contractors to focus maximum manpower, equipment, and materials to accelerate progress.

Specifically, for Component Project 4 of the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang Expressway Project, Phase 1, Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa directed the urgent mobilization of vehicles to transport sand to the construction site, requiring that the construction work be completed to ensure acceptance and payment. For the East-West Economic Development Axis Road Project in Soc Trang province, the contractor must also concentrate its forces and accelerate construction to complete the project and put it into use by the end of this year.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/cao-toc-chau-doc-can-tho-soc-trang-cham-tien-do-do-thieu-cat-20251104165954589.htm