Sand shortage slows down southern expressway project

The southern province of Ca Mau is seeking the prime minister’s help to ease sand shortages that have affected the pace of a local expressway project.

The southernmost province of Ca Mau is seeking the prime minister’s help to ease sand shortages that have affected the pace of a local expressway project.

In a document signed by Huynh Quoc Viet, chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, and sent to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Ca Mau mentioned the severe sand shortage for the Can Tho-Ca Mau expressway project.

 

The Can Tho-Ca Mau Expressway is facing the risk of being behind shedule

The sand required for the roadbed's construction is around 18.5 million cubic metres, but only 3.5 cubic metres have been supplied

If the problem is not settled, the Can Tho-Ca Mau expressway project will be delayed five or six months.

According to the project’s contractors, it is necessary to speed up the licensing of new sand mines and raise the current river sand extraction capacity.

Meanwhile, despite large reserves, sand has not yet been extracted from the sea because of issues related to administrative procedures.

The project, which has a total investment of VND27.55 trillion (USD1.16 billion), stretches 156 kilometres, linking Can Tho City and Ca Mau. It runs through Vinh Long, Hau Giang, Soc Trang, and Bac Lieu provinces.