The proposal prioritizes the immediate expansion of the highway to two 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.

Expanding the highway requires nearly 500,000 billion VND.

In a report recently submitted to the Government, the Ministry of Construction stated that the country currently has approximately 2,801 km of expressways that have been or are being phased in for investment. Of these, about 2,107 km (548 km of 2-lane roads; 1,559 km of limited 4-lane roads) have been put into operation and are undergoing technical testing; 694 km (105 km of 2-lane roads; 589 km of limited 4-lane roads) are under construction.

The Cam Lo - La Son expressway section passing through Hue City.

PHOTO: LE HOAI NHAN

For the 653 km of 2-lane expressway sections that are currently under investment study, the capital requirement for expansion is approximately 80,007 billion VND, of which the identified funding sources (State budget, investors) are about 49,534 billion VND; the additional capital needed from the central budget in the 2026-2030 period is approximately 30,473 billion VND.

According to research results from localities and investors, the capital needed to expand expressways with limited 4 lanes according to the planned scale (4-8 lanes) is approximately 414,580 billion VND.

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.).

On the other hand, for publicly funded expressways that collect tolls to recover investment costs, if traffic management is done properly, then the timing for expanding these 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 most effective investment model, especially on important routes such as the North-South expressway in the east.

Furthermore, the phased investment in limited 4-lane expressways has been designed to meet transportation needs for 6-10 years or more. If expansion is required to meet expressway standards, routes with planned 6-8 lanes will be considered for immediate expansion to avoid multiple expansions (avoiding the addition of two consecutive emergency stopping lanes, followed by further expansion to the planned scale later). In this case, expanding these limited 4-lane expressways to 6-8 lanes as planned will meet long-term transportation needs.

The Ministry of Construction wants to prioritize the expansion of phased expressways to reduce traffic congestion and meet the socio-economic development needs of localities.

PHOTO: THANH QUAN

Prioritize expanding highways to two lanes.

Based on the above situation, 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.

For expressways with limited 4-lane capacity, the managing agencies/competent authorities should continue to conduct thorough research on each project, fully calculate 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 public investment projects, the priority level 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: forecasted transport demand, current status of the route, construction conditions, and capital mobilization capabilities.

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://thanhnien.vn/de-xuat-uu-tien-mo-rong-ngay-cao-toc-2-lan-xe-185260518152731172.htm