According to a report by the Ministry of Construction , the whole country currently has approximately 2,801km of expressways that have been or are being phased in for investment. Of these, about 2,107km have been put into operation and are open to traffic (548km of 2-lane roads; 1,559km of limited 4-lane roads); and 694km are under construction (105km of 2-lane roads; 589km of limited 4-lane roads).
These expressways are primarily implemented through public investment (2,135km, accounting for 76% of the total length); some sections are implemented through public-private partnerships (666km).
Regarding the 653km of 2-lane expressway sections currently under investment study, the Ministry of Construction stated that the capital required for expansion is approximately 80,007 billion VND, of which about 49,534 billion VND has already been identified from the State budget and investors; the additional capital needed from the central budget during the 2026-2030 period is approximately 30,473 billion VND.
Specifically, 5 routes/329km (Cam Lo - La Son, La Son - Hoa Lien, Yen Bai - Lao Cai , Tuyen Quang - Ha Giang section through Ha Giang, Coc Nam Border Gate - Huu Nghi Border Gate) are currently under construction to be expanded to 4 lanes, with an investment of approximately 17,669 billion VND, and sufficient funding has been allocated.
The Hoa Lac - Hoa Binh expressway, 26km long, has been approved by the Prime Minister for investment under the PPP (Public-Private Partnership) method. Currently, the People's Committee of Phu Tho province is preparing a feasibility study report. The total investment for the expansion is approximately 7,999 billion VND, of which about 3,028 billion VND will come from the local budget and about 4,971 billion VND will be mobilized from investors.
In addition, six routes/298km have been studied by local authorities for investment in upgrading to four lanes, requiring approximately 30,473 billion VND from the central government budget for expansion.
Proposal for phased expansion of the limited-access 4-lane highway.
According to research results from localities and investors, the capital needed to expand the 4-lane expressways to the planned scale (4-8 lanes) is approximately 414,580 billion VND (including state budget and non-state budget capital).
While acknowledging the necessity of investing in the completion of phased expressways, the Ministry of Construction believes it will be difficult to immediately and simultaneously expand all expressways that have been phased to a limited 4-lane capacity. This would require rework of several newly completed items (resurfacing; relocating median barriers and anti-glare screens; reinstalling guardrails, marker posts, and signs; excavating embankment slopes, etc.).
Publicly funded expressways will collect tolls to recover investment costs. If traffic management is reasonable (expressways and parallel national highways and local roads), then the timing for expanding expressways in phases can be considered at an appropriate time.
Regarding investment expansion through the PPP method, the Ministry of Construction believes that: Applying tolls uniformly to all expressways could significantly impact the logistics costs of the economy, therefore, careful research and evaluation are needed to consider the investment form (public investment or PPP) to ensure the most effective results and facilitate the transportation of goods and passengers, especially on important routes such as the North-South Expressway (Eastern section).
The phased investment in limited 4-lane expressways has been designed to meet transportation needs for 6 to 10 years or more. If expansion is required to meet expressway standards, expressways with planned 6-8 lanes will be considered for immediate expansion to avoid multiple expansions (avoiding the addition of two consecutive emergency lanes, followed by further expansion to the planned scale later). Therefore, expanding these limited 4-lane expressways to 6-8 lanes as planned will meet long-term transportation needs.
Priority is given to expanding the highway to 2 lanes.
The Ministry of Construction recommends prioritizing the immediate expansion of existing 2-lane expressways to full expressway capacity to ensure traffic safety, prevent congestion that hinders the flow of goods and passengers, and avoid negatively impacting the socio-economic development of the region and localities.
"During the process of researching investment expansion, localities need to carefully review and calculate expansion investment plans to ensure investment efficiency and avoid waste," the Ministry of Construction noted.
Regarding the limited number of 4-lane expressways, according to the Ministry of Construction, the proposals and data from localities and investors are currently only preliminary, aimed at determining the total capital required to expand all phased expressways; there is insufficient basis to assess and calculate the effectiveness.
Therefore, the Ministry of Construction proposes that the managing agencies/competent authorities should continue to conduct thorough research on each project, fully calculate the socio-economic efficiency indicators, and only decide to invest when the expansion investment ensures cost-effectiveness.
Based on that, for the PPP-invested sections of the expressway, the Ministry of Construction and the People's Committees of Hanoi, Lang Son, and Lam Dong provinces/cities should conduct detailed studies on investment options, determine the total investment cost, financial plan, and capital structure (local budget, central government budget, and capital mobilized from investors) to expand the Huu Nghi - Chi Lang border gate, Dau Giay - Tan Phu - Bao Loc - Lien Khuong, and Hanoi Ring Road 4 routes, ensuring efficient accounting, and report to the competent authorities for consideration and decision.
For sections of the expressway that require public investment, the Ministry of Construction and relevant localities shall review and supplement the technical infrastructure works on the expressway in a complete and synchronized manner according to standards; expedite the completion of procedures to meet the conditions for toll collection; and based on the toll collection results, assess traffic volume on the road network (including expressways and parallel national and local roads) to study and propose investment options, plans, and implementation schedules for the complete expressway projects, ensuring efficient accounting.
The priority level for investment in public-invested sections of highways will be specifically determined for each project based on the results of socio-economic and financial efficiency assessments, including a comprehensive study of factors such as: forecasting transportation demand (prioritizing investment in sections connecting to major cities and growth poles; highways in dynamic regions and economic corridors as defined in the national master plan); the current status of the section and construction conditions (land already cleared, low expansion costs, ongoing construction with the possibility of design adjustments, convenient supply of construction materials, etc.); and the ability to mobilize capital (are there interested investors).
The Ministry of Construction recommends that the competent authority assign the Ministry of Finance to consider and balance central government budget funds for expansion investment projects with detailed studies, ensuring efficient accounting, as a basis for considering and deciding on investment in expanding the route sections.
Source: https://vtv.vn/de-xuat-uu-tien-mo-rong-ngay-cac-cao-toc-2-lan-xe-100260518140323403.htm
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