The Ministry of Transport on March 7 started building a VND3.8 trillion (USD182.1 million) bridge, which will be among ten most modern in Vietnam.
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| Plan for the bridge project |
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| Co Chien Bridge construction site |
Co Chien Bridge, 16km long, 16m wide and with four lanes, will replace Co Chien Ferry to link the Mekong Delta provinces of Ben Tre and Tra Vinh.
The project will be completed in two phases. The first with a projected cost of VND2.21 trillion (USD1.05 billion) to be sourced from the form of build-transfer-operation (BOT), and the second, expected to cost VND1.589 trillion (USD76.1 million), to be funded by the state budget.
Once completed, the bridge will shorten the travel distance from Ho Chi Minh City to Tra Vinh to just 80km as well as ease the traffic on National Highway 1A.
Co Chien, one of the four important bridges on National Highway 60, along with Rach Mieu, Ham Luong and Dai Ngai, is expected to boost the Mekong Delta region’s economic development.
The ground-breaking ceremony saw the attendance of Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong, Transport Minister Ho Nghia Dung and many other officials.
