Deputy PM urges proposal for expressway connecting Lam Dong, Khanh Hoa provinces

The Vietnamese provinces of Lam Dong and Khanh Hoa should ask the Prime Minister to consider approving the construction of the Nha Trang-Lien Khuong Expressway linking the neighboring provinces, said Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha on Tuesday.

The two provinces were asked to research the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) model for the expressway and adjust planning to effectively tap related socio-economic infrastructure.

According to the national expressway network development plan, construction on the Nha Trang-Lien Khuong Expressway project was expected to start after 2030, but under the direction of Ha it may commence sooner.

In September, Son Hai Group, headquartered in Quang Binh province, proposed the south-central province of Khanh Hoa build the Nha Trang-Lien Khuong Expressway with a length of 103 kilometers and a width of 17 meters. The four-lane route is expected to allow vehicles to run at a speed of 80-100 km/h.

Of the total length, 48 kilometers are in Khanh Hoa and the rest in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong. The project will be implemented in the public-private partnership (PPP) – build-operate-transfer (BOT) format, with total investment capital estimated at VND36 trillion ($1.48 billion).

The Ministry of Planning and Investment is responsible for scrutinizing a proposal to add VND2.5 trillion ($103 million) from the central budget to the project and reporting to competent authorities for approval, Deputy PM Ha said, adding Lam Dong province must prepare conditions to adjust the project's investment plan right after the proposal is passed.

The Deputy PM also assigned the Ministry of Transport to quickly appraise the basic design of the Tan Phu-Bao Loc Expressway project running through Lam Dong and Dong Nai provinces.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment was tasked with completing an appraisal of the project’s feasibility study, ensuring construction will kick off in the first quarter of 2024. The PPP project had its investment plan approved by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in late 2022.

The expressway is expected to have a total length of 66 kilometers, including 11 kilometers in Dong Nai and 55 kilometers in Lam Dong. In the first phase, the 17-meter road will have four lanes for cars, with a designed speed of 80 km/h. It is expected to be inaugurated in 2026.

Ha also requested Lam Dong province and the transport ministry to complete a pre-feasibility study for a project to renovate the Thap Cham-Da Lat railway.

According to the province’s pre-feasibility report, the Thap Cham-Da Lat railway runs from Phan Rang town and Ninh Son district in Ninh Thuan province to Lam Dong’s Don Duong district and Da Lat town. The 83-kilometer railway is expected to have 16 stations, two more than the old route. The project will be implemented from January 2025 to June 2029.

Vietnam targets building over 3,000 kilometers of expressways by 2025. In the 2000-2021 period, the country opened 1,163 kilometers of expressways. Since 2021, Vietnam has built an additional 566 kilometers of expressways, bringing its total to 1,729 km. A further 1,756 kilometers are under construction.