TWO PROJECTS OF MAI SƠN-NATIONAL HIGHWAY NO. 45 AND PHAN THIET – DAU GIAY EXPRESSWAY OPEN TO TRAFFIC

On the morning of April 29, the Ministry of Transport collaborated with the provinces of Thanh Hoa and Binh Thuan to officially inaugurate two sections of the eastern North-South Expressway in the 2017-2020 period, Mai Son - National Highway 45 and Phan Thiet - Dau Giay via videoconference.

In the inauguration ceremony at Binh Thuan province, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated that two sections of the expressway inaugurate and open to traffic would connect Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to other central provinces. The project became more meaningful when it was put into operation when people's travel demand rises, so do the country's development needs.

In his speech, PM Chinh stressed that developing transport infrastructure is a strategic breakthrough identified by the Party and State. Expressways, seaports, and airports are actively being developed to provide a new appearance, connecting the regions, offering more development space, and lowering logistical costs, etc.
“Over the past years, substantial investments have been made by the Party and State to develop the national expressways to achieve 3,000 km and 5,000 km of expressways by 2025 and 2030, respectively. From 2000 to 2020, our country was organized to work on only about 1,000km of expressways. However, from now to 2025, there will be an additional 2,000km of expressways, so the number of expressways in the next 5 years will double what it was 20 years ago.” the Prime Minister said.
Acknowledging the North-South transport economic corridor as the strategic backbone, a breakthrough incentive enhancing the connectivity between various regions, the Prime Minister stated that as these two projects are completed, the Eastern North-South expressway has currently been commissioned to operate about 800 km out of a total length of 2,063 km. In this forthcoming May, 150 km of Phan Thiet-Vinh Hao and Nha Trang-Cam Lam expressways would also open to traffic. Thus, as of May 2023, around 950 kilometers of expressways have been developed along the North-South axis (representing 47-48 percent of the plan laid forth for 2025).

Regarding the North-South expressway project, the Prime Minister also acknowledged that it encountered various challenges including site clearance, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, fluctuations in material costs, shortage of materials, and unforeseeable weather conditions that have significantly impeded the project progress and contractors.
PM Chinh expressed great appreciation for the contractors and the Project Management Units when they successfully deployed sufficient workers and machinery, triumphing over adverse weather conditions. He also commended the ministries and other organizations for quickly resolving related issues including site clearance, relocating residents, and addressing material shortages, etc.
Pointing out the necessity of harmony, risk-sharing, and equitable distribution of benefits among contractors, the State, and people in expressway projects, the PM noted that the North-South expressway projects in phase 2 shall not be divided into small bidding packages, selecting contractors based on credibility and expertise to guarantee cost-effectiveness, labor safety, and accountability without shirking, seriously drawing lessons for future projects.
At the south of Thung Thi tunnel, Ha Linh commune, Ha Trung district, Thanh Hoa province (section belonging to Mai Son-National Highway No. 45 expressway), Deputy Minister of Transportation Le Dinh Tho informed that projects completed and put into operation would shorten travel time, promote socio-economic growth, and addressing the demand of passenger and cargo transport in the regions comprising the North Central to South Central portion, as well as from the North to the South; facilitate the formation and development of industrial and tourist zones along the expressway.

According to Mr. Dao Ngoc Thanh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietnam Construction and Import-Export Corporation (Vinaconex), as a contractor implementing many construction and installation packages of North-South expressway including these two expressways open to traffic today, the corporation and contractors have always strived to implement the construction without any breaks to ensure the set schedule, determining that the honor and reputation of the corporation are contingent upon finishing the project.
“Vinaconex and contractors have developed detailed construction plans on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis, using all available resources to capitalize on favorable weather conditions, making up for the slow progress due to adverse weather; applying the most advanced construction technologies and solutions, striving to overcome obstacles and attain the assigned emulation objectives, contributing to complete the project within the scheduled timeline, ensuring construction quality, aesthetics and utmost labor safety,” Mr. Thanh asserted ./.

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