Vietnam inaugurates $548mn expressway after 13 years of construction
Wednesday, April 27, 2022, 19:38 GMT+7
The Trung Luong - My Thuan Expressway, a major infrastructure project costing over US$548 million in southern Vietnam, was officially inaugurated on Wednesday following 13 years of construction.
Given its inauguration on Wednesday morning, both directions of the expressway will be opened to traffic from 7:30 am on Saturday.
On the first 60 days, vehicles will be allowed to travel at between 60km and 80km per hour.
During this period, the developer will conduct operational testing, load control, and technical evaluation before beginning the toll collection.
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| The inauguration of the Trung Luong - My Thuan Expressway in Tien Giang Province, Vietnam, April 27, 2022. Photo: Mau Truong / Tuoi Tre |
Stretching 51 kilometers, the Trung Luong - My Thuan Expressway is part of the country’ North-South Expressway network and is considered a key route linking the Mekong Delta region with Ho Chi Minh City and the key southern economic region.
It starts from the junction with the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong Expressway in Chau Thanh District, Tien Giang and ends at the intersection with National Highway No. 30 in Cai Be District, Tien Giang.
The construction began in November 2009 under the management of the Ministry of Transport.
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| The inauguration of the Trung Luong - My Thuan Expressway in Tien Giang Province, Vietnam, April 27, 2022. Photo: Mau Truong / Tuoi Tre |
It was originally designed to have four lanes and two hard shoulders, measuring 26.5 meters wide in total, and the maximum speed of 120km per hour.
The estimated cost was VND19 trillion (U$826.9 million) while the construction was expected to be finished in 2013.
However, the project was repeatedly delayed and had to change its developer twice during the first ten years of implementation.
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| The junction of the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong Expressway and Trung Luong - My Thuan Expressway in Tien Giang Province, Vietnam. Photo: Mau Truong / Tuoi Tre |
The Tien Giang People’s Committee was eventually put in charge of managing the project, while Deo Ca Group was selected as the contractor in March 2019.
The cost was then adjusted down to VND12.6 trillion ($548.3 million), of which VND2.1 trillion ($91.3 million) was funded by the state budget.
The expressway currently has four lanes with a total width of 16 meters.
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| A bird’s-eye view of the Trung Luong - My Thuan Expressway in Tien Giang Province, Vietnam. Photo: Mau Truong / Tuoi Tre |
Each direction has six areas for emergency stops, VnExpress newspaper said, adding that two more hard shoulders will be built in the future.
Automobiles were previously allowed to travel on the expressway in the direction from Trung Luong to My Thuan from January 25 to January 31, and in the opposite direction from February 1 to February 15 to meet travel demand during the Lunar New Year.
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