An expressway connecting Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho may be completed later than originally planned.

The Ho Chi Minh City - Can Tho expressway stretches 120 kilometers and consists of three sections.

The Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong section, 40 kilometers long, which links the southern metropolis with the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, was completed in 2010.

The 51 kilometer Trung Luong - My Thuan section in Tien Giang is currently under construction.

The final section, 23.6 kilometers between My Thuan and Can Tho, is still in the preparation phase.

The entire expressway is now expected to be completed by 2021, according to the most recently revised plan.

Beginning in 2009, the construction of the Trung Luong - My Thuan section, developed by the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV), was originally scheduled to finish after two years.

A few months into the construction, BIDV cancelled the plan due to difficulties with its capital investment.

The project was then transferred to the Cuu Long Corporation for Investment, Development and Project Management of Infrastructure (CIPM Cuu Long) but did not recommence until 2015, and even then continued to be delayed.

In July, the Ministry of Transport issued an ‘ultimatum’ stating that the construction must not be postponed any longer.

CIPM Cuu Long is currently negotiating with local banks to seek investment capital, Duong Ho Minh, the firm’s deputy general director, said, adding that efforts would be exerted to ensure the completion of the project by 2020.

However, Pham Anh Tuan, vice-chairman of the Tien Giang People’s Committee, was concerned that the construction may not be finished on time given the projects current speed.

Workers build abutments at the construction site of the Truong Luong- My Thuan section. Photo: Tuoi Tre

According to Phan Anh Dung, director of the Trung Luong- My Thuan BOT (build-operate-transfer) JSC, a company established by the developer for the implementation of the project, most resources had been used to clear the area, resulting in a lack of expenditure on several components of the construction.

Developers have been unable to pay its contractors, Dung said, adding that the biggest challenge lies in the bank loan process.

Backing the opinion, an official from CIPM Cuu Long said that the project would have been finished earlier if authorities had focused on mobilizing capital for it properly.

Had it been completed, the route could also have made the detour of National Highway 1 in Cai Lay Town, Tien Giang Province unnecessary, thus avoiding the current controversy surrounding this toll station.  

The tollgate has faced repeated protests from drivers for its mislocation. 

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has previously urged that the My Thuan - Can Tho section be completed by 2019.

The goal is difficult to meet, said Vu Ngoc Duong, deputy director of the Thang Long Project Management Board, which is in charge of managing the construction.

“The current target is to begin the construction in late 2018, with completion  expected in 2021,” Duong continued.

Capital investment in the project is estimated at over VND5.4 trillion ($237.8 million), he said, adding that the transport ministry is preparing to select contractors.

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