Construction of the expressway from Lang Son to Cao Bang began

On the morning of January 1, the People's Committee of Cao Bang province held a groundbreaking ceremony for the 93 km long Dong Dang (Lang Son) - Tra Linh (Cao Bang) expressway with a design speed of 80 km/h.

Dong Dang - Tra Linh Expressway starts at Tan Thanh border gate intersection, Van Lang district, Lang Son province; ends at National Highway 3 intersection, Chi Thao commune, Quang Hoa district, Cao Bang province. In phase one, the route has a speed of 80 km/h, two lanes, a roadbed of 17 m for normal sections and 13.5 m for complex terrain sections.

The total investment in the first phase is over 14,330 billion VND, implemented in 36 months. This is the first PPP project to apply a special mechanism with the state budget capital ratio of over 50% of the total investment due to the mountainous terrain and low traffic volume. The expected budget capital is 9,800 billion VND, accounting for 68% of the total investment, the capital mobilized by investors is over 4,450 billion VND (accounting for 31%).

The Prime Minister viewed a model of a Dong Dang - Tra Linh expressway interchange. Photo: Tuan Linh

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said Cao Bang's biggest bottleneck is transportation because it currently only has roads. If infrastructure is not removed, it will be difficult for the province to develop. "I have been to Cao Bang 3-4 times and am very concerned about the road to connect the economies of the provinces, to change the lives of the people of Lang Son and Cao Bang, and to repay the sacrifices of the people in the old war zone," he said.

The Prime Minister asked investors to build a center to train human resources for the northeastern provinces, continuing the spirit of "overcoming the sun and overcoming the rain", "three shifts, four shifts", "only discussing progress, not retreating", ensuring progress, quality, safety, and not exceeding the total investment. "This is the Dong Khe campaign in 2024 and will be victorious in 2026", said the Prime Minister.

The Dong Dang - Tra Linh Expressway was planned by the Ministry of Transport with a length of 144 km, total investment capital of over 47,000 billion VND. The route passes through rugged terrain, with a large investment capital, while traffic volume is low, making the capital recovery difficult.

Mr. Ho Minh Hoang, Chairman of Deo Ca Group (representative of the investor consortium), said that in 2018, Deo Ca accepted Cao Bang's invitation to study the project. The initial approach according to the planning was almost deadlocked. The Group proposed adjusting the route with 4 tunnels through the mountain and overpasses in the valley, shortening the distance by 23 km, with the total investment for both phases remaining at nearly 23,000 billion VND. After that, the National Assembly allowed a pilot program with state budget support of up to 70%, removing difficulties in capital.

Perspective of a bridge on the Dong Dang - Tra Linh highway.

Cao Bang has a border with China of more than 333 km, but has no railway or airport. Existing national and provincial highways have limited traffic capacity.

According to Mr. Tran Hong Minh, Secretary of Cao Bang Province, the Dong Dang - Tra Linh Expressway is the aspiration of many generations of ethnic people in the province. The completed route will promote inter-regional and international trade and tourism, bringing Cao Bang to rapid and sustainable development, strengthening national defense and security, connecting Cao Bang with border provinces, international economic, political and cultural centers.

To date, the country has completed 1,900 km of expressway and is under construction for 1,700 km. By 2025, it is expected that the country will have 3,000 km of expressway and by 2030, 5,000 km.

Doan Loan

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/khoi-cong-cao-toc-tu-lang-son-den-cao-bang-4695707.html