Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha inspects expressway projects in the Mekong Delta.

TPO - On March 6th, in Dong Thap, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha inspected component project 1 of the Cao Lan - An Huu expressway and held a working session with leaders of provinces, cities, and relevant units regarding the progress of expressway projects in the Mekong Delta region. The region has five key transportation projects expected to be completed in 2025.

According to the Ministry of Construction , the Mekong Delta has five key transportation projects planned for completion in 2025, including: the Can Tho-Hau Giang Expressway, the Hau Giang-Ca Mau Expressway, the Cao Lanh-Lo Te Expressway, the Lo Te-Rach Soi Expressway, and the Cao Lanh-An Huu Expressway (component project 1 in Dong Thap province). These five projects have a total length of over 207 km and an investment of over 32,863 billion VND. To construct these five transportation projects, 2.8 million cubic meters of various types of stone and 21.3 million cubic meters of sand are needed.

Scene from the working session. Photo: N. Ánh.

The Ministry of Construction also specified the material supply situation of 7 localities in the Mekong Delta region for the expressways. In particular, Tien Giang province was assigned to supply 15.9 million cubic meters of sand, and has been granted confirmation that 4.8 million cubic meters are eligible for extraction.

Dong Thap province was assigned to supply 13 million cubic meters of sand for projects, and has licensed and approved the exploitation of 9.3 million cubic meters of sand to supply these projects; the province has also issued certificates confirming increased exploitable reserves for two sand mines. Dong Thap province also committed to supplying 3.8 million cubic meters of sand for the My An - Cao Lanh Project.

In addition, there are some limitations in the supply of sand for expressways, as contractors assigned to mines have not fully assessed the quality of sand in the introduced mines, causing difficulties in the extraction and supply process for the projects; mining contractors have not complied with the design, and have been slow in fulfilling their financial obligations.

Furthermore, the My An - Cao Lanh project currently lacks a construction contractor, therefore Dong Thap province does not have the basis to proceed with the procedures for granting the sand mine to a contractor.

Mr. Tran Tri Quang, Acting Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Thap province, pointed out some difficulties and limitations in sand supply.

Mr. Tran Hong Minh, Minister of Construction, proposed that the Deputy Prime Minister consider resolving the obstacles regarding sand allocation for projects, suggesting that allocation should be based on project progress, not on the mining schedule stipulated in the license as is currently the case. There are still obstacles related to mining procedures; limited mining capacity, failing to meet construction schedules. During the mining process, many sand mines in An Giang and Dong Thap provinces have had to temporarily cease operations due to landslides, over-mining, and exceeding the permitted depth.

The Minister of Construction stated that the procedures for sand mining are time-consuming and that localities need to focus on resolving obstacles related to material sources, especially in Tien Giang province, to supply projects with high demand such as the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3 and the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway. Currently, the Ring Road 3 project is significantly behind schedule.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha speaks at the working session.

To ensure the supply of materials and meet project deadlines, especially those scheduled for completion in 2025, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha requested that project management boards and mining contractors be honest and accurately compile sand reserves at each mine, and be responsible for reviewing material sources in their respective localities. Based on this, they should submit recommendations to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment regarding specific authority. Contractors assigned to mines must comply with regulations; any contractor found in violation must be seriously dealt with and resolutely removed from the contract by the local authorities.

Regarding local authorities, the Deputy Prime Minister requested more decisive direction in monitoring, ensuring strict adherence to procedures and commitments, and maximizing the use of special mechanisms for these projects. The Deputy Prime Minister also requested the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Construction to review the progress of capital allocation for the projects, to be completed before March 15th.

On the same day, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha and his delegation conducted a site visit to the construction site of Component 1 of the Cao Lanh - An Huu expressway project in Dong Thap province. The project, approximately 16 km long, has a preliminary total investment of 3,640 billion VND and is being implemented by the People's Committee of Dong Thap province.

The project's capital requirement for 2025 is 483 billion VND (an additional 350 billion VND). The People's Committee of Dong Thap province has requested the Ministry of Finance to register the need for additional central government budget funds for the project in 2025.

Hoa Hoi