The Hai Duong Department of Transport has just proposed that the Ministry of Transport study, soon plan and invest in National Highway 5 according to the elevated road option.
National Highway 5 is 116 km long, a vital artery in the North, opened in 1998 with a scale of 4 lanes. The route passes through many industrial zones in Hanoi, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Hai Phong, so the traffic density is high. Every day, there are over 90,000 vehicles traveling, exceeding the designed traffic volume by 6 times. The speed is only 50-60 km/h for cars, equal to 50-60% of the design.
According to the Hai Duong Department of Transport, the route is still prone to accidents. The section passing through Hai Duong province alone is 44 km long, but from 2021 to now, there have been 228 accidents, accounting for 18%; killing 85 people, accounting for 13%; injuring 139 people, accounting for 16% of the number of accidents, deaths and injuries in the whole province.
The Department has proposed that the Ministry of Transport soon plan to expand or build an elevated road to meet the requirements of the economic development triangle of Hanoi - Hai Phong - Quang Ninh, and solve the traffic congestion on the route.
Accordingly, the elevated National Highway 5 will help vehicles maintain their design speed, reduce travel time, and resolve infrastructure problems such as level crossings and limit accidents. Construction units will also proactively develop construction plans and shorten progress.
Investing in this option will have many advantages over the expansion option. There is no need to arrange new land funds, clear the ground on the main route, industrial zones, clusters, and existing residential areas on both sides of the road, thus reducing investment costs.
When put into operation, the project will ensure design speed, significantly saving travel time; solving traffic infrastructure problems, especially intersections, and minimizing traffic accidents; proactively implementing construction plans, shortening project implementation progress.
