Final segment of Noi Bai-Lao Cai highway opened to traffic

The first two lanes of the last remaining segment of the Noi Bai-Lao Cai Expressway, from the bordering northern city of Lao Cai to the Kim Thanh International Border Gate opened to traffic on May 18.

The first two lanes of the last remaining segment of the Noi Bai-Lao Cai Expressway, from Binh Minh ward in the bordering northern city of Lao Cai to the Kim Thanh International Border Gate - the gateway to China’s Yunnan province - opened to traffic on May 18. 

 

Noi Bai-Lao Cai Expressway. (Photo: Vietnamplus)

Construction on the 19-kilometre section began in the the fourth quarter of 2010, and cost over VND4 trillion ( USD185 million). 

It comprises of two intersections connecting the expressway with the 4E and 4D national roads, a 700-metre tunnel, and a system of bridges stretching 3.6 kilometres. 

The road, with a speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour, will help connect the Noi Bai-Lao Cai Expressway to China’s Kunming-Hekou highway. 

It is expected that the last two lanes of the section will be opened to traffic at the end of this year. 

The construction of the Noi Bai-Lao Cai highway started in 2009 with a total investment of over USD1.2 billion. It has a total length of 245 kilometres and links Hanoi and the northern border province of Lao Cai. 

As an important project of the Kunming-Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong road corridor, the highway is a key component of a cooperation programme between Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and China.