Two expressway projects planned for northern province

Tuyen Quang province is planning to build an expressway connecting Ha Giang province and an expressway upgrade linking Phu Tho province in the north of Vietnam.

Ha Giang province has proposed the Prime Minister to approve investment for the Ha Giang section of the Tuyen Quang-Ha Giang Expressway project. The 59-kilometer section, connecting Tan Quang ward in Tuyen Quang province and Thanh Thuy border gate in Ha Giang province, will have a speed limit of up to 100 km per hour.

Ha Giang province wants to invest VND9.8 trillion ($417.9 million) in the project, including VND1.48 trillion ($62.9 million) for site clearance and VND8.33 trillion ($355 million) for construction, with a schedule from 2024 to 2028.

Earlier, Tuyen Quang province approved an investment of VND6.8 trillion ($290 million) for the 77-km Tuyen Quang section of the expressway, which is set to start by 2025.

The expressway is expected to help government efforts to develop Thanh Thuy into an international border gate, aiding Ha Giang’s socioeconomic growth and national security and defense, while boosting imports and exports.

Regarding the Tuyen Quang-Phu Tho Expressway, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said on Wednesday that it must be upgraded to four lanes immediately, not by 2025, .

The 40-km expressway, including 11 km in Phu Tho province and 28 km in Tuyen Quang province, is connected to the Noi Bai-Lao Cai Expressway linking Hanoi and the northern border province of Lao Cai. It should reduce the distance between the two provinces to 40 km, opening up new development areas.

Originally, the project had two lanes, subject to completion in the third quarter of this year, while phase 2 is set for 2025 with four lanes.

The Prime Minister said a two-lane expressway would not work, while asking Tuyen Quang and Phu Tho provinces to process administrative procedures to build four lanes with a speed limit of 120 km per hour.

Chinh also asked relevant sides to research the possibility of roads connecting the expressways to Ha Giang province, which borders China’s Yunnan and Guangxi provinces, by 2030.