Accelerate the completion of the 3,000km expressway ahead of schedule.

On the morning of February 3rd, Minister of Transport Tran Hong Minh chaired a meeting to review the work plan for February 2025. One of the key points that the Minister particularly emphasized was the completion of the target of 3,000km of expressways this year.

In addition to setting specific requirements, the Minister also suggested several solutions to closely monitor progress.

Focus on resolving difficulties related to materials and load testing.

Reporting at the conference, Mr. Le Quyet Tien, Director of the Construction Investment Management Department, stated that approximately 1,188 km of expressways are expected to be completed in 2025, concentrated across 28 projects/component projects.

Minister of Transport Tran Hong Minh delivered a directive speech at the meeting.

Of the 17 projects (total length 889 km) managed by the Ministry of Transport, 13 projects (745 km) are on schedule, including: 10 component projects of the North-South Expressway in the East, phase 2021-2025, from Ha Tinh to Khanh Hoa (610 km); Lo Te - Rach Soi (51.5 km); Cao Lan - Lo Te (29 km); and Ben Luc - Long Thanh (excluding Phuoc Khanh bridge), 55 km long.

Four projects (144 km) require focused efforts to overcome difficulties. Specifically, on the Can Tho - Hau Giang and Hau Giang - Ca Mau expressways (111 km), the My Thuan Project Management Board needs to closely coordinate with localities with mines to ensure mining capacity and adjust design solutions to shorten the loading and settlement waiting periods.

At the Hoa Lien - Tuy Loan project (11.5km), component project 2 of the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway (18km), the Ho Chi Minh Highway Project Management Board and Project Management Board 85 need to continue coordinating with local authorities to complete land clearance work and definitively resolve the issue of supplying stone and earth fill materials.

Of the 11 projects (total length 299 km) managed by local authorities, 2 projects (component 3 Bien Hoa - Vung Tau; component 7 Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3) with a total length of 26 km are progressing as required, with few remaining obstacles.

Nine projects (Tuyen Quang - Ha Giang section through Tuyen Quang and Ha Giang; components 1 and 3 Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot; components 1, 3, and 5 of Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3; component 1 Cao Lanh - An Huu; component 1 Bien Hoa - Vung Tau) with a total length of 158 km are behind schedule and require solutions for land clearance, construction material sources, and further efforts to complete them by 2025.

Regularly review contractor capabilities.

While emphasizing that completing all 1,188 km currently under construction would surpass the 3,000 km mark, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Duy Lam noted that nearly 300 km of expressways still require close monitoring of their implementation.

"For projects managed by local authorities, the Vietnam Expressway Department needs to regularly monitor and advise the Ministry's leadership to work with local authorities to promptly resolve difficulties and accelerate progress," the Deputy Minister said.

Deputy Minister of Transport Le Anh Tuan added that, for large-scale transport projects, the difficulty previously lay in the supply of sand for embankment, but now it is the supply of materials for foundation construction. The demand for foundation construction materials in projects in the Southwest region or Long Thanh Airport is currently concentrated in Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces.

The project management board needs to compile the material requirements for foundation and substructure construction in projects in the Southwest and Mekong Delta regions, and plan which quarries to source from in order to create a reasonable allocation plan between projects.

Expressing confidence in the progress of the expressway sections from Ha Tinh to Quang Tri, Minister Tran Hong Minh stated that the biggest concern currently is the component projects passing through the South Central region and the Mekong Delta.

Instructing project owners to regularly review and assess contractor capabilities, he also requested that project management personnel be present at the site regularly with quality control agencies, consultants, and contractors to identify and resolve problems promptly.

"Specifically for the Can Tho - Ca Mau expressway project, the horizontal axis expressway requires sand for loading during construction. But if there isn't enough sand and time is running out, a solution must be found. Agencies, including research institutes, must work together to survey, assess, and find construction methods to ensure that the weak soil areas stop subsiding quickly while still meeting technical requirements," the Minister instructed.

Determined to complete a very large workload.

Appreciating the results achieved by agencies and units in January 2025 and extending New Year greetings to representatives of these agencies and units, Minister Tran Hong Minh emphasized that the agencies had implemented the plan with a decisive and determined spirit.

Particularly in the railway sector, within a very short period of time, numerous documents, draft resolutions, and pre-feasibility study reports for the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway project were completed and submitted to competent authorities for review and comments.

Getting straight to the key tasks for the coming period, the Minister requested that from now until the second quarter of 2025, the work of drafting legal documents must be given priority. "Developing and promulgating missing standards and norms in various fields is one of the issues that needs special attention. Without standards and norms, it is impossible to establish unit prices," the Minister noted.

Regarding investment and construction activities, according to the Minister, the volume of work to be done in 2025 is enormous. The road network must achieve the target of 3,000 km of expressways. In addition to striving to start the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway project, the railway sector also needs to complete investment studies for many other lines.

A key task for the aviation industry is to essentially complete the Long Thanh International Airport project in accordance with the Prime Minister's directives.

Recalling the Prime Minister's directive during his inspection of key transportation projects earlier this year, Minister Tran Hong Minh requested that investors continue to study phase 2 (expansion) for expressway sections that are scheduled for completion by April 30th. Projects nearing completion in later phases should also prepare contingency plans.

With particular attention to the Long Thanh International Airport project, the Minister noted that some bidding packages within the project have not yet selected contractors, and the overall construction is only about 30% complete. The Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway connecting the two projects is also at risk of falling behind schedule. Finding solutions to overcome these difficulties is also a matter that needs to be addressed quickly.

Regarding the Dong Dang - Tra Linh project, the Ministry's specialized agencies need to support the two provinces of Lang Son and Cao Bang in completing the procedures and expedite the investment in phase 2 to maximize investment efficiency.

"The relevant units need to promptly study the investment project to upgrade National Highway 51 to 8 lanes of urban road scale according to two options: PPP or public investment (with toll collection), first of all, resolving the related financial issues; finalize the plan to remove obstacles for BOT projects and submit it to the National Assembly for approval at the May 2025 session; and urgently complete the synchronized investment procedures when the expressways come into operation," the Minister directed.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/tang-toc-hoan-thanh-som-3000km-cao-toc-192250204022317247.htm