This information was provided by Mr. Le Thanh Viet, Deputy Director of the Can Tho Department of Construction, at the regular press conference on the morning of April 14th.
According to Mr. Viet, the Can Tho Western Ring Road Project commenced in November 2022 with a total investment of over 3,837 billion VND from the state budget, aiming for completion in 2026. However, currently only 4 construction packages have been put into operation, while the remaining 3 packages cannot yet be tendered due to the need to wait for adjustments to the total investment.
In terms of land acquisition, over 50% has been recovered and handed over so far, but it's in a fragmented state, insufficient for contractors to carry out continuous construction.
"From the beginning of 2024 until now, construction work has been almost frozen because the land clearance costs have exceeded the total approved investment," Mr. Viet said.
With 4 construction packages currently underway, the value has only reached over 960 billion VND so far, equivalent to more than 44% of the contract value. This year's capital plan for the project is over 124 billion VND, but less than 3% has been disbursed so far.
According to Mr. Viet, the reasons for this situation are land acquisition issues, material shortages, and increased capital. Regarding land acquisition, although almost all the funds for this part of the project have been disbursed (over 99%), it is only enough to compensate over 50% of the affected cases. Due to exceeding the budget ceiling, compensation payments have been halted, causing the land to remain fragmented and insufficient for construction.
Furthermore, the allocation of resettlement land for people displaced by the project is slow, or there are no resettlement areas available for people to relocate to. The relocation of technical infrastructure such as electricity, water, and telecommunications cannot be implemented due to incomplete compensation and support procedures.
In addition, the leaders of the Can Tho Department of Construction also cited a shortage of sand for embankment construction as the reason for the delay in the Western Ring Road project. The project requires approximately 1.77 million cubic meters of sand, but only about 0.3 million cubic meters have been supplied, with the remainder still unavailable. Furthermore, the price of sand and stone has increased sharply compared to the contract, causing delays in embankment construction.
Mr. Le Thanh Viet stated that the increase in land clearance costs compared to the initial project plan, along with the fluctuating increase in construction material prices, has driven up project costs. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the investment policy and total investment amount to ensure the resources for the project's continued implementation.
The Department of Construction has recommended that the People's Committee of Can Tho City promptly complete the adjustment procedures and seek the opinion of the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee as a basis for implementing the next steps.
Responding to a question about how much additional capital will be needed for the Western Ring Road project, Mr. Viet stated that a specific figure has not yet been determined. Relevant units are conducting a comprehensive review, but many important costs, such as land acquisition, have not yet been finalized due to the lack of established unit prices.
In addition, the fluctuating cost of construction materials, especially the price of sand for leveling, is also significantly affecting the calculation of the total investment cost.
The Can Tho Western Ring Road project starts at the intersection of National Highway 91 and National Highway 61C (the Can Tho - Vi Thanh connecting road). The project received investment approval at the end of 2020, project approval in November 2021, and commenced construction in November 2022, with a total investment of over 3,837 billion VND from the state budget, aiming for completion in 2026.
Previously, in the medium-term public investment plan for the period 2026-2030 approved by the Can Tho City People's Council at the end of 2024, the Can Tho Western Ring Road Project had its total investment adjusted upwards from 3,837 billion VND to over 6,601 billion VND (an increase of nearly 2,800 billion VND compared to the initial estimate). Of this, 2,000 billion VND came from the central government budget and over 4,601 billion VND from the local government budget.
The 7km road project in Can Tho, costing over 7.2 trillion VND, is behind schedule.
On April 14th, Mr. Le Thanh Viet, Deputy Director of the Department of Construction of Can Tho City, announced that the project to upgrade and expand National Highway 91 (section Km0 - Km7) has a total investment of over 7,237 billion VND, to be implemented in the period 2023 - 2027. The project commenced in September 2025 and is expected to be completed in December 2027.
However, despite having commenced construction nearly 7 months ago, the total project value completed so far has only reached over 2.5% of the contract value.
According to Mr. Le Thanh Viet, the main obstacle is land acquisition. Although over 52% of the land is cleared, it is not continuous and is fragmented, making construction difficult and resulting in slow progress. "To bring machinery in for construction, we need continuous sections of at least 400-500 meters," Mr. Viet explained.
To date, compensation and resettlement have only been paid to over 60% of affected households, with 431 cases remaining incomplete; there is a shortage of resettlement land for the people.
Regarding solutions, the leaders of the Can Tho Department of Construction said they have requested relevant units to expedite procedures and definitively resolve issues related to land acquisition and clearance. Priority will be given to sections where continuous land clearance is possible for construction; and the approval and arrangement of resettlement will be expedited. The goal remains to complete the project by the end of 2027.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/duong-vanh-dai-phia-tay-can-tho-doi-von-cham-tien-do-post1835564.tpo
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