Three expressway projects a boost to Khanh Hoa development

Three expressway projects Nha Trang-Cam Lam, Van Phong-Nha Trang and Khanh Hoa-Buon Ma Thuot, once put into operation, will give a fillip to the socio-economic development of Khanh Hoa province, a hub in the south-central region.

The 49-kilometer Nha Trang-Cam Lam Expressway, which forms part of the eastern section of the North-South Expressway mega-project, passes through Dien Khanh and Cam Lam districts and Cam Ranh town in Khanh Hoa.

Managed by the Ministry of Transport's (MoT) Ho Chi Minh Road Project Management Unit and invested by Nha Trang-Cam Lam Expressway Investment Co., Ltd under Son Hai Group, the project is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2023.

The public-private partnership (PPP) project has a total investment of more than VND7,600 billion ($324 million), of which about VND2,967 billion comes from the state budget.

So far, site clearance for the project has completed 99.8%, while construction packages have fulfiled 64.1% of the contract value.

Inspecting the project on January 26, the last day of the week-long Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked the contractor to ensure its quality and progress as well as the safety of workers and residents.

The Van Phong-Nha Trang project, also part of the eastern section of the North-South Expressway in the 2021-2025 period, is invested by the MoT’s Project Management Unit No. 7. It is scheduled to be basically completed in 2025 and enter operation one year later.

The VND11,808 billion ($503.54 million) project stretches 83.35 kilometers in Van Ninh, Dien Khanh and Khanh Vinh districts and Ninh Hoa township.

Meanwhile, the Khanh Hoa-Buon Ma Thuot Expressway project - phase 1 has an initial investment of more than VND21,935 billion ($935.3 million), with a length of 117.5 kilometers, including 32.7 kilometers in Khanh Hoa and 84.8 kilometers in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak.

Once the expressways are completed and interconnected, they will basically meet the needs for transportation on the East-West axis and North-South Expressway eastern section, which are important transport corridors serving socio-economic development in the Central Highlands and neighboring provinces.

In early 2021, the 13th National Party Congress identified building synchronous infrastructure as one of three strategic breakthroughs, with the aim to build about 5,000 kilometers of expressways by 2030 and completing the North-South Expressway eastern section by 2025.

To achieve this goal, the government plans to complete 3,000 kilometers of expressways by 2025. The country currently has more than 1,400 kilometers of expressways, leaving 1,600 kilometers to be completed by 2025.

Last June, the National Assembly, the country's highest legislative body, issued a resolution on distinct mechanisms and policies for Khanh Hoa to be implemented on a pilot basis to attract only mega projects.

The province is calling for private investments in 122 projects until 2025, with vision until 2030.