Clarifying the plan to expand the Hanoi - Bac Giang expressway to 8 lanes

A section of Hanoi - Bac Giang highway.

The Ministry of Construction has just sent an official dispatch to the consortium of investors including Van Phu - Invest Investment Joint Stock Company, Dong Son Infrastructure Investment Joint Stock Company - Vietnam Construction and Import-Export Joint Stock Corporation - Ocean Group Joint Stock Company regarding the expansion of the Hanoi - Bac Giang expressway to 8 lanes.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Construction requested the above investors to review the parameters and financial plans, and determine the expected time to end the contract for the investment project to build and upgrade National Highway 1, Hanoi - Bac Giang section, under the form of a BOT contract.

The consortium of investors was also asked to clarify the proposed capital source for the expansion of the Hanoi - Bac Giang expressway to 8 lanes under the PPP method (whether to use state capital or use all of the investor's capital); the scope and scale of the investment (including service roads or not).

“The suitability of the proposed investment plan according to the contract content of the Investment Project for the construction of the renovation and upgrading of National Highway 1, Hanoi - Bac Giang section under the form of a BOT contract, the Road Law, the Law on Investment under the PPP method and other relevant regulations; the implementation plan according to the provisions of Article 48 of the Road Law; the responsibility of the Investor Consortium related to the proposed contents”, the Ministry of Construction stated.

Previously, the Ministry of Construction received a document from a consortium of investors including: Van Phu - Invest Investment Joint Stock Company, Dong Son Infrastructure Investment Joint Stock Company - Vietnam Construction and Import-Export Joint Stock Corporation - Ocean Group Joint Stock Company proposing to expand the Hanoi - Bac Giang expressway to 8 lanes under the PPP method.

These are the units that participated in the investment project to build, renovate and upgrade National Highway 1, Hanoi - Bac Giang section, under the form of a BOT contract.

Accordingly, the above investors proposed that the Ministry of Construction (the competent authority) and the Vietnam Road Administration (the agency signing the project contract) allow the investor/project enterprise to propose the expansion of the Hanoi - Bac Giang expressway to 8 lanes under the PPP method.

However, these investors did not specify the estimated cost to upgrade and expand the Hanoi - Bac Giang expressway as well as the expected implementation time.

It is known that the project to upgrade National Highway 1 to a 4-lane expressway was completed and put into use on April 23, 2016, and toll collection officially began at 0:00 on May 25, 2016. The expected payback period is 21 years.

According to the Vietnam Road Network Planning for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050, the Hanoi - Bac Giang - Lang Son Expressway (Huu Nghi border gate) has a total length of 137 km, with a scale of 6 lanes, of which the Hanoi - Bac Giang section is 46 km long, with a planned scale of 8 expressway lanes.

The Hanoi - Bac Giang Expressway is the shortest and vital route connecting Hanoi with China, especially when the Huu Nghi - Chi Lang section has started construction and is being completed and is expected to be put into operation in 2026.

Currently, the traffic volume through the Toll Station of the BOT Project to invest in construction, renovation and upgrading of National Highway 1, Hanoi - Bac Giang section, is about 53,500 converted vehicles/day and night, not to mention the large number of trucks and containers avoiding the Toll Station through Phu Dong dike road at the end of the route Km155+800.

According to the financial plan of the BOT Contract, the full traffic volume of the Hanoi - Bac Giang Expressway in 2022 is 46,656 converted vehicles/day and night. Comparing with the actual data of vehicles passing through the toll station, it can be seen that the traffic volume on the route will continue to increase from 2022 (the average growth rate in the last 3 years is about 11%/year).

This situation has overloaded the infrastructure, does not ensure operating speed when circulating on the route, is often congested, has a very high risk of traffic accidents, and at the same time increases transportation costs, affecting the competitiveness of the region.

“Therefore, it is necessary to soon invest in upgrading and expanding the Hanoi - Bac Giang expressway to 8 lanes in accordance with the planning to promote investment efficiency and ensure traffic safety,” said representatives of the four investors.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/lam-ro-phuong-an-mo-rong-tuyen-cao-toc-ha-noi---bac-giang-len-8-lan-xe-d386516.html