"Roll call" of highway projects to be completed by the end of 2025

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh , Head of the State Steering Committee for important national projects and works, key to the transport sector, chaired the 21st meeting of the Steering Committee - Photo: VGP/NB

On the afternoon of November 8, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Head of the State Steering Committee for important national projects and works, key to the transport sector, chaired the 21st meeting of the Steering Committee.

2,476km of highways have been completed.

Regarding the goal of completing 3,000 km of expressways in 2025, Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh said that so far the country has 2,476 km of expressways, the Ministry of Construction and localities are continuing to make efforts to implement the construction of the remaining 733 km of 22 projects/DATPs.

Of which, the Ministry of Construction is the managing agency of 11 projects/DATP12 (Quang Ngai - Hoai Nhon, Hoai Nhon - Quy Nhon, Quy Nhon - Chi Thanh, Chi Thanh - Van Phong, Can Tho - Hau Giang, Hau Giang - Ca Mau, Cao Lanh - Lo Te, Lo Te - Rach Soi, DATP 2 Bien Hoa - Vung Tau, Hoa Lien - Tuy Loan, Ben Luc - Long Thanh) with a length of 444 km, progress closely following the plan to complete by the end of 2025.

Contractors are speeding up construction of the Quy Nhon - Chi Thanh expressway in the final stages - Photo: Construction Newspaper

The remaining 11 projects/DATPs with a length of 289 km are managed by local authorities. Currently, 5/11 projects are following the set plan (DATP 1, 7 Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3, DATP3 Bien Hoa - Vung Tau, DATP1 and 3 Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot). The remaining six projects with a length of about 158 km are still behind schedule (DATP 3, DATP 5 Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3, DATP 1 Bien Hoa - Vung Tau, Tuyen Quang - Ha Giang expressway, DATP1 An Huu - Cao Lanh).

It is worth mentioning that the Huu Nghi - Chi Lang and Dong Dang - Tra Linh projects are expected to be open to traffic by the end of 2025, but the remaining volume is large, the Ministry of Construction assessed that these two projects have the potential risk of not meeting the plan. In particular, the value of construction output at the Huu Nghi - Chi Lang project has only reached 50% of the volume, while the Dong Dang - Tra Linh project has only reached 43% of the volume.

Regarding Long Thanh International Airport, the Minister said that the component projects - DATP1 (Headquarters of management agencies) and DATP2 (Works serving flight management) are being implemented closely following the completion plan in December 2025, in which the headquarters of Customs and Immigration Department, Southern Airports Authority are in the completion stage.

DATP3 (Essential Works) has a total volume value of about 48,792/86,435 billion VND, currently reaching 56.5% of the contract value. Passenger Terminal Package 5.10 has completed the installation of steel structures at the terminal wings and central area; the volume value has reached about 61.5%. DATP4 (Other Works) all 6 priority investment items are being actively implemented, investors are committed to basically completing in December 2025 and completing synchronously with the overall Project.

Extreme weather affects progress

Explaining the reason why some projects are behind schedule, Minister Tran Hong Minh said: Currently, the Ministry of Construction and localities are resolutely directing investors and contractors to mobilize maximum resources and organize construction in "3 shifts, 4 teams" to complete the remaining 733km of 22 expressway projects scheduled to be completed by 2025 to ensure the target of 3,000km of expressway.

However, in September and October, extreme weather caused flooding, flash floods, landslides, the impact of climate change, extreme weather in many provinces in the Northern mountainous region (Cao Bang, Lang Son, Tuyen Quang), the Central region suffered severe consequences of natural disasters causing more rainy days than usual; some provinces in the Southern region (such as Dong Nai, Can Tho, Soc Trang, An Giang, Ho Chi Minh City) had a prolonged rainy season. While the construction volume of projects mainly consists of foundations and asphalt concrete roads, the organization of construction to ensure the quality of the project depends largely on weather conditions, so it is currently behind schedule.

Some projects with a very large remaining construction volume such as the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3 project, Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway, Tuyen Quang - Ha Giang, DATP1 Cao Lanh - An Huu will not be able to be completed in its entirety and the Dong Dang - Tra Linh project will have difficulty opening the entire route to traffic on December 19.

In addition, Minister Tran Hong Minh also stated that the Long Thanh International Airport project has entered the stage of completing equipment installation, requiring the mobilization of a large workforce, with overlap and interdependence, so it is necessary to coordinate and organize construction reasonably to ensure completion by 2025.

Besides the objective difficulties from the weather, the Minister also pointed out a number of other difficulties that are "hindering" the progress of projects such as: strong fluctuations in construction material prices, some unsettled locations, difficulties in balancing medium-term budget sources, etc.

Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh - Photo: VGP/NB

Need to make great efforts in organization and implementation

Regarding solutions to implement expressway projects scheduled to be completed by 2025, the Minister of Construction requested that localities assigned as managing agencies need to identify the completion of projects as the top political task to be determined and make great efforts in the implementation stage; resolutely direct investors and contractors to mobilize maximum financial resources, motorbikes, equipment, add more construction lines, overcome weather conditions, organize construction in "3 shifts, 4 teams" to completely complete each segment, ensuring the goal of completing 3,000km of expressway by the end of 2025 and at least technically opening all projects.

At the same time, continue to direct investors and contractors to develop reasonable and scientific construction plans; increase human resources, machinery and equipment; overcome adverse weather conditions during the rainy season, impacts and damages caused by floods to speed up construction progress; promptly accept and make payments to ensure completion of public investment disbursement according to the set plan, especially in the last months of 2025; register with the Government (through the Ministry of Construction before November 10, 2025) for inaugurated and commenced works, in the spirit that each organization strives to have at least 2 works/projects eligible for inauguration or commencement.

The Minister requested the localities of Quang Tri, Quang Ngai, Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, and Dong Nai provinces to thoroughly resolve existing problems and obstacles to hand over the entire remaining land of rest stops on the Eastern North-South Expressway in November 2025.

The People's Committees of the provinces and cities of Hung Yen, Ninh Binh, Can Tho, An Giang, Vinh Long, Dong Thap, and Ho Chi Minh City shall, based on the provisions of law, immediately grant licenses to exploit and increase the capacity of common construction material mines according to special mechanisms (grant directly to highway construction investment projects at the request of project management boards and contractors, ensuring project progress); proactively support each other and support project management boards and construction contractors; flexibly transfer filling materials according to their authority between projects that have been granted material mines according to special mechanisms and projects using public investment capital in accordance with the provisions of law.

Localities also need to strictly control the prices of materials supplied to projects, strictly handle "hoarding" and "price gouging"; and fully promulgate material prices in accordance with market prices.

Particularly for the two projects that are behind schedule due to large volumes, the Minister requested Lang Son and Cao Bang provinces to review the progress, direct investors and contractors to proactively remove difficulties and obstacles, overcome the consequences of natural disasters, storms and floods, supplement human resources and equipment, and work in 3 shifts to speed up the construction progress of Huu Nghi - Chi Lang and Dong Dang - Tra Linh projects to ensure the route is open on December 19, 2025.

Asphalt carpet on Quy Nhon-Chi Thanh highway - Photo: XD Newspaper

Ho Chi Minh City and the provinces of Dong Nai, Tuyen Quang, and Dong Thap need to be resolute in implementation, proactively remove difficulties, and apply technical solutions to shorten construction time. In particular, Ho Chi Minh City needs to promote its leading role in infrastructure construction, focus on direction and operation to complete each segment of the Ring Road 3 project in 2025, as well as speed up the implementation progress of the Ho Chi Minh City - Moc Bai and Ho Chi Minh City - Thu Dau Mot - Chon Thanh projects.

Can Tho City, An Giang and Phu Tho provinces direct investors/project owners and contractors to proactively remove difficulties and obstacles, use appropriate technical solutions according to the guidance of the Ministry of Construction, supplement human resources, machinery and equipment, and work in 3 shifts to speed up construction progress at the Chau Doc Can Tho - Soc Trang and Hoa Binh - Moc Chau projects through Hoa Binh (now Phu Tho) to ensure completion according to the direction of the Prime Minister.

Regarding the Long Thanh International Airport project, Minister Tran Hong Minh directed the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation to strictly control the progress of importing and installing specialized air traffic management equipment, ensuring the completion of DATP2 of Long Thanh International Airport according to the set plan.

Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) is tasked with speeding up the construction progress of the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh expressway expansion project, ensuring synchronous exploitation with Long Thanh International Airport.

Vietnam Airports Corporation strictly controls quality, labor safety, organizes construction reasonably, overcomes adverse weather conditions to complete and conduct the first flight of the Long Thanh International Airport project in 2025.

Immediately adjust construction measures for projects with large volumes.

Concluding the meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested the Deputy Prime Ministers as Heads of the delegations to continue to inspect, review, and remove difficulties and obstacles related to key traffic projects for a number of expressway projects with large volumes such as Dong Dang - Tra Linh, Huu Nghi - Chi Lang, Tuyen Quang - Ha Giang; contractors to immediately adjust construction methods for these projects; depending on the specific situation, mobilize the Army and Police forces for additional support.

The Ministry of Construction continues to preside over monitoring, synthesizing, and urging localities to focus on implementing the coastal road system; promptly report to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha on matters beyond its authority to ensure the goal of having about 1,700 km of coastal roads nationwide by the end of 2025.

Phan Trang

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/diem-danh-cac-du-an-cao-toc-se-hoan-thanh-vao-cuoi-nam-2025-102251108220150285.htm