Long An conducts pre-feasibility study on parallel Highway 62 project

The current National Highway 62 is degraded and narrow.

According to Mr. Dang Hoang Tuan, the province has long wanted National Highway 62 to be upgraded and expanded, so it has regularly proposed to the Central Government to implement it. Recently, the Prime Minister has approved the proposal for the project to upgrade and expand National Highway 62. The project is expected to be implemented in 2025.

“In addition to the project to upgrade and expand the existing National Highway 62 with the expected implementation time as above, the province has recently directed the Department of Transport to continue to study the pre-feasibility of the project to invest in a new National Highway 62 route in parallel with the provincial budget to meet the needs of travel and freight transport, creating a driving force for the Dong Thap Muoi region, and developing the province's border economy ,” Mr. Dang Hoang Tuan informed.

National Highway 62 connects with National Highway 1, passing through Tan An City, Thanh Hoa District, Tan Thanh District and Kien Tuong Town to Binh Hiep International Border Gate bordering Cambodia. After more than 20 years of operation, this route has seriously degraded while the traffic pressure is very high, so it can no longer meet the travel and freight needs of the people, posing a potential risk of traffic accidents. In the past few years, local people in the Dong Thap Muoi region have continuously petitioned to upgrade and expand this national highway.

Also because of the degraded road, Long An's border trade economy has not boomed as expected. Binh Hiep Border Gate Economic Zone (Kien Tuong town, Long An province) is identified as the economic, cultural, social center, the driving force for development of the Dong Thap Muoi sub-region. However, for many years, only a few businesses have been operating. Many units, after studying the investment environment, decided to withdraw due to inconvenient traffic infrastructure.

After many years of petitioning, on June 7, 2023, the Prime Minister issued a decision approving the proposal for the project to upgrade and renovate National Highway 62. The project is expected to be implemented in 2025. Accordingly, National Highway 62 will be upgraded and renovated into a grade III plain road, with a design speed of 80km/h, a road surface of 11m wide, including two lanes for motor vehicles and two lanes for non-motorized vehicles.

Some sections through urban areas, towns and townships will have cross-sections according to the current status; the basic route follows the existing road centerline, except for the section through Tan Thanh town, a new bypass will be built from Km41+100 to Km49+150.

Regarding the investment roadmap for the project to renovate and upgrade National Highway 62, which is 77km long, the total investment is 2,250 billion VND. Of which, the loan capital from the World Bank is 1,545 billion VND, the counterpart capital is 705 billion VND, invested by the Ministry of Transport./.

Le Duc

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