Recently, voters in An Giang requested the Ministry of Transport to promptly urge and speed up the construction progress of the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway to reduce the pressure on large traffic volume on National Highway 91 (from Long Xuyen city to Chau Doc city), contributing to reducing traffic accidents.
Regarding the content of the voters' petition, the Ministry of Transport responded as follows:
At the 3rd Session, the 15th National Assembly passed Resolution No. 60/2022/QH15 dated June 16, 2022 deciding on the investment policy for the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway construction investment project, phase 1.
According to the policy approved by the National Assembly, the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway is divided into 4 component projects and assigned the People's Committees of An Giang, Can Tho, Hau Giang, and Soc Trang provinces and cities as the competent authority to organize the implementation of the project investment, ensuring the basic required schedule to complete the entire route in 2026 and complete and put the entire project into synchronous operation in 2027.
Immediately after Resolution No. 60/2022/QH15 was passed by the National Assembly, the Government, the Prime Minister, and the Deputy Prime Ministers directed localities to develop plans to organize project implementation to ensure progress as required.
In order to carry out the tasks of the governing agencies, localities have directed investors and contractors to mobilize maximum materials, human resources, and equipment to implement the project in accordance with the set plan.
As a specialized management ministry, the Ministry of Transport has recently coordinated with localities to organize inspections, urge investors and contractors to speed up progress, and at the same time propose solutions to remove difficulties arising in the implementation of the Project.
Up to now, the project has achieved certain results (land clearance and resettlement work has reached 99%, construction volume has reached about 30%...).
However, the implementation progress is still slower than the plan due to a shortage of sand materials for roadbed construction (to date, only about 23 million m3/total demand of the project of about 29 million m3 has been identified). Currently, localities are speeding up procedures for granting mining licenses and reviewing additional shortage of sand resources, while considering the option of using sea sand in Soc Trang province to build roadbeds.
In the coming time, the Ministry of Transport will continue to closely coordinate with localities to focus on removing difficulties and obstacles in the source of construction materials, and at the same time urge investors and contractors to develop construction plans to compensate for the slow work items to meet the progress and quality requirements of the Government, soon complete and put the project into operation, promote investment efficiency, reduce pressure on the traffic volume on National Highway 91 as expressed by voters.
