The Prime Minister has asked the Transport Ministry to develop the expansion of Highway 1 by late 2016, at an estimated total investment of VND100 trillion (USD4.79 billion).
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| Highway No.1 will be expanded |
At a regular press conference on March 7, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Hong Truong said that the Prime Minister had ordered the expansion of Highway 1 between Hanoi to Can Tho city from two to six lanes. The expansion of the 1,100 kilometres would be financed by a build-operate-transfer (BOT) operation.
“The Government approved a toll of 50-70% compared to normal motorway fees. Provincial chairmen will be responsible for compensation and site clearance work,” the deputy minister said.
The government will consider adopting a special mechanism to ensure the project will be rapidly completed, avoiding delays caused by compensation payments.
The government will also hire state and private units to simultaneously work on the project.
Addressing the issue that this project would affect the North-South Highway project, Deputy Transport Minister Nguyen Ngoc Dong said the expansion would be completed by 2016. While the North-South Highway project had a longer-term schedule. It will be built section by section and will be completed in 2030.
