Early preparation for the target of 5,000 km of highway

Although there is still some time left before the new medium-term public investment period begins, the Ministry of Construction has issued a document urging localities to develop implementation plans and propose needs for the Medium-Term Public Investment Plan for the period 2026 - 2030 for expressway projects, to ensure the goal of having 5,000 km of expressways nationwide by 2030.

Taking place in the context of the race towards the goal of having 3,000 km of highway nationwide in the final stage with a very high possibility of reaching the finish line, there are opinions that the Ministry of Construction is "worrying" too early about the goal for the next 5 years.

In fact, the construction of nearly 2,700 km of expressway in the 2021 - 2025 period has created favorable foundations for the goal of building 2,000 km of expressway in the 2026 - 2030 period.

Firstly, through construction sites of "3 shifts, 4 shifts", "braving the sun, overcoming the rain", "only working, not talking back" have left valuable lessons for management agencies.

That is the lesson and experience in mobilizing and allocating resources of capital and materials; and directing and operating in implementing big and difficult tasks in highway construction.

Second, the process of promoting decentralization and delegation of power also helps many localities to successfully fulfill the tasks of investment management agencies and investors in highway construction - a field that many years ago was often assumed to be the responsibility of the Ministry of Construction and its affiliated units.

Third, after nearly 4 years of training, many construction contractors have accumulated experience and capacity, and at the same time formed a team of professional and skilled engineers and technicians, along with modern machinery and equipment, capable of conquering new highway projects with increasingly strict requirements on quality and progress.

However, the new context, both objectively and subjectively, also causes certain challenges to the construction and putting into operation of 5,000 km of expressways by 2030, as determined in the Documents of the 13th National Congress of the Party.

Unlike the period 2021 - 2025, when the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction) played the leading role, implementing the policy of promoting decentralization and delegation of power to localities with the motto "locality decides, locality does, locality is responsible", in the period 2026 - 2030, localities will have to rise up to play the role of key force. The Ministry of Construction will prioritize resources to complete the invested expressways to the planning scale and organize the implementation of large-scale railway infrastructure projects, including high-speed railway lines.

It should be added that, when forecasting the investment needs for developing transport infrastructure in the period of 2026 - 2030, the Ministry of Construction has identified a list of expressway projects that need to continue investing, most of which are decentralized to the People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities where the route passes through as the managing agency.

These projects either have been approved by competent authorities to delegate authority to local authorities as the managing agency, or are expected to be assigned to local authorities as the managing investment agency after the Ministry of Construction completes the Pre-Feasibility Study Report and submits it to competent authorities for decision on investment policy.

However, at the 21st Session, the State Steering Committee for important national projects and works, key to the transport sector, the Ministry of Finance reported that a number of localities assigned to be the governing bodies or competent authorities for expressway projects have not yet proposed the need for central budget capital to participate in the project in the local medium-term public investment plan for the period 2026 - 2030. Meanwhile, capital is not only the top important condition for expressway projects to be approved for investment, but also helps budget management agencies to develop plans and allocate resources accurately, avoiding scattered and ineffective investment.

Therefore, in order to have a basis for implementing projects in the period 2026 - 2030, ensuring the goal of having 5,000 km of expressway nationwide by 2030, the urgent requirement now is that the People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities must review the registration of medium-term public investment plan needs for the period 2026 - 2030; urgently coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Construction to develop implementation plans and propose investment needs for expressway projects that have not yet registered plans.

In addition, it is necessary to promptly arrange qualified and experienced personnel to manage the project; develop a standard process for organizing compensation and site clearance, and at the same time perfect the two-level government according to the "6 clear" principle: clear people, clear work, clear time, clear responsibility, clear products, clear authority and organize effective implementation associated with inspection and supervision.

This is an important foundation for the projects in the "5,000 km of highway" category to accelerate right in the first phase of the Medium-Term Public Investment Plan 2026 - 2030, reaching the finish line 1 to 2 years ahead of schedule, contributing more motivation for the whole country to successfully complete socio -economic development tasks in the coming period.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/lo-som-cho-muc-tieu-5000-km-duong-cao-toc-d436935.html