Work starts on $3.7 bln Hanoi Ring Road 4

Construction of the VND85.81 trillion ($3.65 billion) Ring Road 4 in the capital region began on Sunday in Hanoi and the nearby provinces of Hung Yen and Bac Ninh.

The project kicked off one year after the National Assembly passed an investment policy for the route.

In Hanoi, groundbreaking ceremonies were held in Thanh Xuan commune, Soc Son district; Song Phuong commune, Hoai Duc district; Tam Hung commune, Thanh Oai district; and Van Binh commune, Thuong Tin district.

Similar ceremonies also took place in Khac Niem ward, Bac Ninh province; and Van Giang district, Hung Yen province.

Hanoi and Bac Ninh have completed over 81% of site clearance work to date, and Hung Yen, over 70%, all meeting the 70% requirement set by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

The 112-kilometer road, a project of national importance, features 58.2 kilometers in Hanoi, over 19 kilometers in Hung Yen, more than 25 kilometers in Bac Ninh and a 9.7-kilometer route connecting the Noi Bai-Ha Long Expressway in Hanoi with Quang Ninh province. Construction is set to be completed in 2026, with a public opening in 2027.

The development has seven sub-projects, including three for site clearance and public resettlement, three for urban roads along the main project using public investment, and one expressway under the public-private partnership (PPP) investment model.

Private investors are set to provide VND29.45 trillion ($1.25 billion), while the state budget will provide VND41.86 trillion ($1.78 billion) from 2021-2025 and VND14.5 trillion ($616.84 million) from 2026-2030.

The inter-regional Ring Road 4, with six lanes, will pass through Hanoi and the nearby provinces of Hung Yen and Bac Ninh. The project is expected to offer opportunities for cities and provinces along the route, as well as the Northern Key Economic Region in general, to thrive socio-economically.

Hanoi also plans to begin work on Ring Road 5 before 2030.

According to a detailed plan approved in 2014, Ring Road 5 will be about 331 km long, excluding 41 km that overlaps with the Noi Bai-Ha Long, Hanoi-Thai Nguyen and Noi Bai-Lao Cai expressways, as well as National Highway 3.

The route, with 4-6 lanes and a roadbed at least 22-33 meters wide, will run through Hanoi (48 km), Hoa Binh (35 km), Ha Nam (35 km), Thai Binh (28 km), Hai Duong (53 km), Bac Giang (51 km), Thai Nguyen (29 km), and Vinh Phuc (51 km).

Investment for Ring Road 5 was estimated at about VND85.56 trillion ($3.65 billion), based on 2013 prices.