Removing site clearance bottlenecks, speeding up progress of the eastern bypass project of Buon Ma Thuot City

The investor, contractor, and related units are gradually resolving land acquisition issues and handing over the land to the construction unit as soon as possible to accelerate the project's progress, striving to complete and put the project into operation by June 30th.

The Buon Ma Thuot City East Bypass project is in its final stages. Video : NH

Land acquisition is hindering progress.

On January 14th, at the construction site of the Ho Chi Minh Highway project, the eastern bypass section of Buon Ma Thuot city (the section passing through Hoa Phu commune, Buon Ma Thuot city, Dak Lak province), the contractor, Saigon Construction and Trading Company Limited, took advantage of the sunny weather to organize multiple construction teams to build the roadbed and lay the first and second layers of asphalt concrete, racing against the project's progress.

The contractor is focusing on construction, striving to complete the project on schedule. Photo: NH

Mr. Bui Van Anh, a road roller driver, shared: "For almost a month now, the construction site has been bustling with activity. The workers eat and sleep on the site, and work overtime until 9 PM to strive alongside the contractor and race against time to meet the project deadline."

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tong, Deputy Director of Saigon Construction and Trading Company Limited, said: "The rainy weather and land acquisition issues have slowed down the project's progress. When the sun came out, the contractor mobilized all machinery and workers from other projects to focus on completing the last 3km of the route and 1km through Ea Tieu commune."

"If the weather is favorable, the contractor will focus all its efforts on phased construction. Wherever there is available land, construction will begin immediately without delay. The unit is also coordinating with the investor and local authorities to actively clear the remaining land sections, in order to hand over the land for simultaneous construction and complete the project on schedule as committed," Mr. Tong emphasized.

Land clearance remains the biggest obstacle to the project. Photo: NH

According to reports, apart from the sections where construction is possible, the biggest challenge of the project remains land clearance. In the section of the project passing through Buon Ma Thuot City, with a total length of 14.816km, more than 13km have been handed over to date, reaching over 94%, while 0.821km remain uncleared.

To date, compensation has been approved and paid to 484 out of 530 households, with 46 households yet to receive compensation (13 households at the intersection with Ho Chi Minh Highway in Hoa Phu commune, 28 households in Ea Kao commune, and 5 households within the scope of the branch road and drainage ditch).

The investor is coordinating with the People's Committees of the communes to continue organizing campaigns and propaganda efforts to persuade the remaining households to accept compensation and hand over the land. Furthermore, the Board is finalizing the documents to request the City People's Committee to enforce the land reclamation decision to definitively resolve the issue and ensure the construction site is ready.

In Cuôr Đăng commune (Cư M'gar district), the total length of the project is 5.9km. To date, over 5.3km has been handed over, reaching 91.25%, while 0.516km/33 households remain uncompensated, causing delays in the project's progress.

According to the investor, there are currently 33 households whose compensation has not yet been approved, with an estimated value of approximately 50 billion VND. Of these, for the 13 households to be relocated (at the beginning of the route), the Cư M'gar district has drafted a compensation and land clearance support plan, but due to the lack of land prices for the plots intended for resettlement, there is insufficient basis to submit it for appraisal and approval.

For the remaining 20 households, the relevant documents have been completed and a draft compensation and resettlement plan has been prepared. However, because the plan was prepared after the 2024 Land Law came into effect, it cannot be submitted for further review and approval.

To secure the construction site, the investor coordinated with the local authorities to persuade households to hand over 0.360km of land for construction in advance. Currently, the District Land Development Center has submitted the project to the CưM'gar District People's Committee for appraisal and approval, and the entire site is expected to be handed over by March 20, 2025.

According to the Dak Lak Provincial Project Management Board for Investment in Construction of Transportation and Rural Development Projects (Project Management Board), as of the end of December 2024, land clearance and handover to contractors for construction had reached nearly 97% for over 38km out of 39.606km, with 1.337km remaining.

During the construction process, although a significant amount of land has been cleared, it has been discontinuous and intermittent, thus creating many difficulties for the implementation of the project. In particular, the province currently experiences frequent and prolonged rainfall, making construction, especially roadbed construction, even more challenging.

The project's completion deadline has been extended to June 30th.

According to Nguyen Tai Minh, Deputy Director of the Investment and Construction Project Management Board for Transportation and Rural Development in Dak Lak province, the project has so far been implemented with two construction packages, achieving a total output of over 633 billion VND, reaching 64.70%. Specifically, for package number 3, the value of work completed to date has reached nearly 86%, with the remaining work mainly in the initial section (0.516km) still facing land acquisition issues. For package number 4, the value of work completed to date has reached 43.45%.

To expedite the handover of the construction site and ensure the project is completed on schedule, the Board has requested the Provincial People's Committee to promptly supplement the land price list for the land plots intended for the resettlement of 13 households in Cu M'gar district.

The People's Committee of Cư M'gar district is directed to promptly approve compensation plans for the 20 households and immediately begin construction of the resettlement area after the Provincial People's Committee supplements the land price list.

The investor and local authorities are gradually resolving land acquisition issues, handing over the land to the construction unit to accelerate progress. Photo: NH

According to the Construction Investment Management Department of the Ministry of Transport, it has been agreed to adjust the implementation schedule for packages 3 and 4 of the Ho Chi Minh Highway construction project, specifically the eastern bypass section of Buon Ma Thuot City, Dak Lak province. The entire project will be completed before June 30th, and the handover procedures for commissioning will be finalized before December 31st.

"Based on the remaining volume and actual construction conditions, and on the basis of the remaining volume of each contractor/package, the Investor directs the contractors and supervisory consultants to revise the construction schedule, mobilize manpower, machinery and equipment, materials, and finances to ensure completion according to the committed schedule."

"Inspect, review, and specifically identify the objective and subjective causes (if any) that have slowed down the progress. Continue to coordinate closely with localities to definitively resolve outstanding issues and obstacles in land clearance work and require the construction contractor to focus all resources on implementing construction to meet the progress and quality standards," the document from the Department of Investment and Construction Management stated.

The Ho Chi Minh Highway construction project, specifically the eastern bypass section of Buon Ma Thuot City (Dak Lak province), spans nearly 40km with a total investment of over 1,800 billion VND.

The project, managed by the Dak Lak Provincial Project Management Board for Investment in Construction of Transportation and Rural Agricultural Development Projects, was expected to be completed by the end of 2024. However, due to land clearance issues, the project remains unfinished and has requested an extension until June 30, 2025.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/go-nut-that-mat-bang-tang-toc-tien-do-du-an-duong-tranh-phia-dong-tp-buon-ma-thuot-192250114165218836.htm