Phu Tho accelerates infrastructure investment, clearing the 'blood vessels' of the regional economy

Identifying transportation as the economic 'blood vessel', Phu Tho province is removing obstacles in site clearance and resettlement, speeding up the progress of key projects.

After the merger, Phu Tho province now has more than 30,700km of roads, nearly 678km of inland waterways and nearly 113km of railways with 13 stations on the Hanoi - Lao Cai route. Before the merger, all three provinces of Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc and Hoa Binh focused on planning and investing in synchronous and modern transport infrastructure, creating connections with the capital Hanoi, the Northwest and North Central regions. This is the "backbone" of regional linkage chains, opening up new development space for the northern midland and mountainous region.

Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Committee Phung Thi Kim Nga inspected and directed the resolution of difficulties for the Ring Road 2 Project in the western part of Vinh Phuc urban area, phase I, section from DT.305 to DT.306. Photo: Thanh Nga.

However, the implementation of traffic projects in the area still faces many obstacles, especially in compensation and site clearance.

One of the traffic infrastructure projects connecting the Capital Region in Vinh Phuc (Ring Road 5 - Capital and the road section along the foot of Tam Dao mountain, connecting Ring Road 5 with National Highway 2B to Tay Thien, going to National Highway 2C and Tuyen Quang) has a total investment of 1,800 billion VND. According to the report of the Vinh Phuc Regional Project Management Board, the project is 26.7km long; of which, Ring Road 5 - Hanoi Capital Region is 9km long, the road along the foot of Tam Dao mountain is about 17.7km long. To construct, the localities where the project passes through must compensate and clear 133.27 hectares of land of 2,703 households; resettle 82 households and expand 2 more People's cemeteries.

By October 2025, localities had only handed over 11.1km/25km of land to investors. Although construction units had mobilized human resources and machinery, only 6.6km of roadbed, 2.2km of road foundation, 16/72 cross-drainage culverts, 7/9 main bridge spans had been completed so far, and the organic layer was being scraped off and about 2.3km of roadbed was being filled with new land.

The main reasons for the slow progress are problems in resettlement procedures, cemetery expansion, land compensation price determination and especially the handover of forest land area outside the scope of Tam Dao National Park which needs to be carefully considered, with the coordination of many central and local agencies.

Similarly, at the Hanoi - Lao Cai railway parallel road project, the northern route (section from Khai Quang Industrial Park to 36m road from Binh Xuyen Industrial Park to Ba Thien Industrial Park), after nearly 3 years of implementation, the investor, Vinh Phuc Regional Project Management Board, has only been handed over about 1.6km/5.1km of land, equivalent to 6.95ha/21.52ha, reaching 32% of the total land.

By the end of October 2025, the construction units had completed 1.45km/5.1km of K95 land fill; 0.237km of branch line 1 and 0.32km of branch line 2. At the same time, the DT.310B overpass, Song Canh bridge and infrastructure construction of 2 resettlement areas are being carried out.

However, with many difficulties, especially from August 2024 to now, the project has not had any additional compensation and site clearance plans approved, so it is very difficult to complete in the 2022 - 2026 period.

The Vinh Yen City Ring Road 2 Project, from National Highway 2C to the Northern Railway Parallel Road, is also facing similar difficulties. The project has a total investment of 277 billion VND, is 2.79 km long, and has so far only cleared 2.4 km of land; the remaining 0.39 km is still "stuck" because the area to be recovered from 85 households has not been approved. The resettlement land fund has not been completed, affecting the progress of arranging new accommodation for people.

Construction of the Hanoi - Lao Cai railway parallel line project (Northern route), section from National Highway 2C to Hop Thinh - Dao Tu road. Photo: Thanh Nga.

According to the report of the Department of Construction of Phu Tho, after the merger, the province is simultaneously implementing many large-scale traffic projects, including regional connecting routes such as: the road connecting Ho Chi Minh City - National Highway 70B - National Highway 32C to Yen Bai (old), the Hoa Binh - Moc Chau expressway, the route connecting Viet Tri - Hoa Binh, and many projects in the PPP group.

However, many projects are "stuck" due to inconsistent policy mechanisms after the merger. Some regulations on compensation, site clearance, and resettlement do not have specific instructions, causing confusion for district and commune authorities when implementing. Many places lack resettlement land funds, making it difficult to determine sufficient conditions for resettlement arrangements. In addition, the scarce source of earth materials and the high price of raw materials also increase costs and prolong construction time.

To remove difficulties and speed up the progress of traffic projects, the Provincial People's Committee has organized many thematic meetings with departments, branches and localities. Vice Chairmen of the Provincial People's Committee assigned to be in charge of the field directly went to the field to inspect, grasp the situation, direct and propose solutions to remove difficulties and speed up the progress of each project.

Thanks to that, the progress of many large projects has been accelerated, especially the routes connecting the Capital region, regional connecting roads and key infrastructure projects such as: Hanoi - Lao Cai railway parallel road project (Northern route) from National Highway 2C to Hop Thinh - Dao Tu road; Hanoi - Lao Cai railway parallel road project (Northern and Southern routes), from Hop Thinh - Dao Tu road to DT304 extension; Capital Region connecting traffic infrastructure project; Regional connecting road project; a number of key traffic projects in Vinh Phuc and Hoa Binh areas...

The Provincial People's Committee has also issued many documents directing departments, branches, sectors and localities to strengthen inspection, supervision and support for contractors, ensuring project progress; clearly assigning responsibilities to each cadre, creating changes in the implementation of assigned tasks. Strengthening propaganda work so that people understand, agree and comply with legal regulations on compensation and site clearance.

The Regional Land Fund Development Center speeds up the progress of compensation and site clearance for projects, especially key transport projects. Construction units are more determined in implementing works and projects to avoid prolonging construction time.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/phu-tho-tang-toc-dau-tu-ha-tang-khoi-thong-mach-mau-kinh-te-vung-d783629.html