The 27km section of the Huu Nghi-Chi Lang expressway opened to traffic on May 19th.

(Chinhphu.vn) - Minister Tran Hong Minh proposed that the first 27km of the Huu Nghi-Chi Lang expressway, connecting from the Bac Giang - Lang Son expressway to the Lang Son City (old) interchange, be put into operation on May 19th, creating favorable conditions for people to travel between Hanoi and Lang Son and vice versa.

Huu Nghi - Chi Lang Expressway - Photo: Construction Newspaper

On May 6th, Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh inspected the construction work and requested the maximum mobilization of machinery and personnel to accelerate progress and complete the Huu Nghi - Chi Lang and Dong Dang - Tra Linh expressways.

The Friendship-Chi Lang Expressway is expected to be completed on September 30th.

According to the project enterprise, the Huu Nghi - Chi Lang expressway is the first segment of the Eastern North-South expressway axis, with a length of 60km, passing through 7 communes and wards in Lang Son province. The project is invested under the public-private partnership (PPP) method with a total investment of VND 11,029 billion, and construction started in April 2024.

According to the plan, by May 19th, the project will complete the 27km segment, from the end point of the Bac Giang - Lang Son expressway to the IC03 interchange, adjacent to National Highway 4B (on the outskirts of the former Lang Son city), 7 months ahead of schedule. Currently, the contractor is mobilizing 2,600 personnel, 1,200 pieces of equipment, and deploying 130 construction teams.

The value of work completed to date has reached VND 5,587 billion, equivalent to 71.67% of the adjusted contract value. The entire project is expected to be completed by September 30th, 3 months ahead of the original schedule.

To ensure the project is completed on time and ahead of schedule, the project enterprise requests the Ministry of Construction to consult with the Government and the Ministry of Finance to consider allocating approximately 2,200 billion VND as requested by the People's Committee of Lang Son province.

Regarding the rest stop project, the enterprise proposes that the competent authorities should soon finalize the legal framework. The issuance of a Decree amending and supplementing regulations in the road transport sector (including Decree 165/2024/ND-CP) will serve as the basis for the competent authorities and investors to agree on an implementation plan. The People's Committee of Lang Son province is directing the vigorous handling of obstacles related to residential land and relocation of technical infrastructure, while also accelerating the completion of access roads and cross roads by May 2026.

Construction of the Dong Dang - Tra Linh expressway - Photo: Construction Newspaper

Phase 1 of the Dong Dang-Tra Linh expressway will be completed by the end of 2026.

The Dong Dang - Tra Linh expressway project, spanning 121km and connecting Lang Son and Cao Bang provinces, is being implemented in two phases with a total investment of approximately 26,000 billion VND. Phase 1, covering 93.35km, includes 64 overpasses crossing the Ky Cung and Bang Giang rivers, as well as numerous streams and provincial roads.

Phase 2 includes expanding the 93.35km already invested in Phase 1 and constructing 27.71km of new expressway (including 17 bridges and 3 tunnels through the mountains) connecting to the Tra Linh border gate (Cao Bang province).

The entire project currently involves 132 construction teams working on bridges, tunnels, and roads, with nearly 900 machines and equipment and over 2,000 personnel. Some sections are undergoing road widening from 17m to 22m, according to the completion scale of phase 2.

In particular, the construction unit is currently mobilizing 4 high-capacity asphalt paving lines to carry out asphalt paving of the road surface. To date, the total output of the construction packages has reached 8,726 billion VND (equivalent to 74% of the contract value).

According to the plan, by May 19th, the project will open for technical traffic the 62km section from Dong Dang border gate (Lang Son) to Dong Khe commune (Cao Bang). The remaining sections will be opened on the roadbed. By December 2026, the project will complete 93km from Dong Dang to Dong Khe on a 22m wide roadbed.

Given the sharp increase in material and fuel prices, especially asphalt, since March 2026, the project enterprise requests that the Ministry of Construction promptly provide specific guidance on contract price adjustments, creating conditions for contractors to stabilize construction and mitigate financial risks.

To complete the entire project to its full 22m scale, relevant units have requested additional financial resources to meet capital needs in the coming period. To date, the State budget has allocated more than 8.8 trillion VND out of nearly 18 trillion VND for the project.

However, an additional 9.124 billion VND is needed to fully implement the project according to the 22m roadbed scale. Specifically, the capital requirements are phased: phase 1 requires approximately 2.472 billion VND, while phase 2 is expected to reach 7.514 billion VND.

Specifically for 2026, to ensure the technical completion of the section from Km0 to Km93+350 with a width of 22m, the project enterprise proposes an additional 5,412 billion VND from the State budget.

Minister Tran Hong Minh inspects the construction work of the Dong Dang - Tra Linh expressway - Photo: Construction Newspaper

During a direct inspection of the Huu Nghi - Chi Lang expressway construction project, Minister Tran Hong Minh requested that the first 27km of the route, connecting from the Bac Giang - Lang Son expressway to the Lang Son City (old) interchange, be put into operation by May 19th, creating favorable conditions for people to travel between Hanoi and Lang Son and vice versa.

At the construction site of the Dong Dang - Tra Linh expressway, Minister Tran Hong Minh instructed the project enterprise to expand the roadbed from 17m to 22m right from phase 1, avoiding the need for further changes in scale and expansion later, which would lead to the demolition of previously completed structures.

The People's Committee of Cao Bang province and the project enterprise need to proactively secure funding to complete the project. At the same time, contractors should maximize the use of machinery and accelerate construction progress to ensure the overall project is completed before this year's rainy season.

"The project's construction must ensure speed, accuracy, relevance, completeness, efficiency, and safety. It must absolutely comply with and fully adhere to all relevant legal regulations, preventing corruption and waste during the investment and construction process," Minister Tran Hong Minh emphasized.

Phan Trang

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/thong-xe-27km-cao-toc-huu-nghi-chi-lang-ngay-19-5-102260506181231362.htm