Danang Party Secretary Nguyen Xuan Anh said the plan to build the tunnel beneath the Han River had been agreed long ago and was now even more necessary.
On December 21, the river tunnel was the top concerns of all attendees during a press conference about major problems facing Danang City. The six-lane 1,315-metre tunnel will run from Dong Da Street in Hai Chau District to Van Don Street in Son Tra District and take three years to build.
Regarding the project’s number, Tho said that it would partly come from the sell-off of land along local beaches.
The plan to build the tunnel beneath the Han River was approved long ago
According to Anh, the population is rising fast and by the next 5 to 10 years, the population will reach three million. The city is also experiencing a 10-12% increase in the number of personal vehicles each year. Anh said Danang might face the same severe congestion as Hanoi and HCM City.
The plan to build the river tunnel was agreed last October and many meetings have been held to discuss the problem. However, the the date of construction or detailed plan are yet to be agreed.
"This project is for our children, for the next generation. People can judge whether the project will have negative impacts or not. The chairman of Danang Huynh Duc Tho and myself don't have any personal interest in this," Anh said.
He went on to say that there was also opposition when the plans to build Dragon Bridge and Han River Bridge were first raised.
Tran Van Minh, former chairman of Danang City, thought the plan was too rushed. According to Minh, millions of USD could be used on more urgent issues. Costs would also rise with each meeting, from USD136m to USD180m. Minh suggested continuing research to not overspend and gather more opinions from experts and local people.
Tran Dan, vice head of Vietnam Bridge and Road Association said the plan designed by the Bridge And Tunnel Engineering Consultants Company would fail because it was unsuitable for huge vehicles like lorries. He went on to say that because the local authorities refused to listen, many new constructions like Cam Le, Thuan Phuoc and Hoa Xuan bridges were showing short-comings.
