Construction of expressway connecting Southeast region with Central Highlands to start by end-2024

The National Assembly has approved an investment policy for the Gia Nghia town (Dak Nong province)-Chon Thanh town (Binh Phuoc province) section of the North-South Expressway.

The project is expected to promote the socio-economic development of Binh Phuoc and Dak Nong, connect the Southeast region with the Central Highlands, and reduce the traffic load on National Highway 14 - the main artery connecting the two provinces.

Thanks to a special mechanism, the project is likely to be implemented within a year, rather than the two years it normally takes after the National assembly, the country's legislature, gave the policy the green light.

The Gia Nghia-Chon Thanh Expressway will run 128.8 km with four lanes and an expected speed of 100-120 km per hour. It will be started in 2024, completed in 2026, and put into operation in 2027.

The project is divided into five components, not including site clearance. Compensation, resettlement support, and the construction of feeder roads and overpasses passing through Dak Nong and Binh Phuoc provinces will be implemented in the form of public investment.

The preliminary investment for the project is more than VND25,500 billion ($1 billion). Of which, the central budget will contribute more than VND10,500 billion ($412 million), the local budget more than VND2,200 billion ($86 million), Binh Phuoc more than VND1,200 billion ($47 million), and Dak Nong VND1,000 billion ($39 million). The investor's capital contribution will reach more than VND12,700 billion ($500 million).

A number of large expressway projects implemented in recent times show that, with the specific mechanism for site clearance, many localities have achieved a rate of land delivery of 90–95% after only a year from the day the National Assembly has pressed the button, according to the Vietnam Highway Administration.

In the past, the procedure for preparing investment for expressway projects such as Gia Nghia-Chon Thanh usually took about two years from the date the National Assembly approved the policy, but thanks to a special mechanism, this time has been shortened by at least one year, which should significantly reduce any difficulties that arise during the projects.

Nguyen Nhan Ban, director of the Department of Transport of Dak Nong, said that after the parliament approved the policy, the department advised the provincial People's Committee to assign tasks to units so they could immediately start work.

The project has a total site clearance area through Dak Nong province of 261 hectares, including more than eight hectares of residential land, 1.58 hectares of rice cultivation land, and 25.1 hectares of land for growing other crops.

The total number of affected households is about 408, and about 250 households will be resettled at a cost of VND662 billion ($26 million).