Ben Tre voters recommend that the Ministry of Construction consider supporting investment in the medium-term plan for the 2026 - 2030 period for urgent traffic projects to contribute to promoting the socio-economic development of the province such as:
Upgrading National Highway 57 from Mo Cay town to Khau Bang (km 49+650 - km 103+283).
Build a new An Hoa 2 bridge and access roads on both sides on National Highway 57B.
Build Tan Phu bridge to replace Tan Phu ferry (km 2+299 - km 3+279) on National Highway 57B.
Upgrading sections 2, 3, 4 of the investment project to upgrade, expand and build 4 sections of National Highway 60 connecting Rach Mieu Bridge to Co Chien Bridge, Ben Tre Province under the form of a BOT contract.
Construction of Ham Luong 2 Bridge and the access road to the bridge.
Regarding the content of the above voters' petition, the Ministry of Construction said as follows:
For the National Highway 57 upgrade project, the section from Mo Cay town to Khau Bang. According to the plan, National Highway 57 is 103 km long, with a scale of level III, 2 to 4 lanes.
The Ministry of Construction has completed the investment in the project to renovate and upgrade National Highway 57 from Dinh Khao ferry terminal to Mo Cay town, 39.2 km long. The total investment is 940 billion VND and will be put into operation in 2022.
The Ministry agreed on the necessity of continuing to invest in renovating and upgrading National Highway 57, from Mo Cay to Khau Bang, to ensure synchronization and create conditions for socio-economic development in the locality.
The Ministry of Construction recommends that the locality prioritize balancing and allocating investment capital for National Highway 57 from Mo Cay town to Khau Bang as proposed by the above voters and the Ministry will coordinate with the locality to report to the competent authority for consideration, investment in upgrading and expanding the route in the period of 2026 - 2030.
Regarding investment in bridges on National Highway 57B, the Ministry of Construction said that according to the plan, National Highway 57B is 87 km long, level III-IV scale, 2 to 4 lanes. The current scale of the road surface is from 6 to 8m. There is still a location on the route across the Ham Luong River (Tan Phu Pass) where a bridge has not been built.
Recently, the Ministry has directed the Vietnam Road Administration to invest in the project "Sudden anti-erosion repair of An Hoa Bridge Head T2 at km 37+677, National Highway 57B, Ben Tre province" with a budget of about 7 billion VND. The project is currently under construction, expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025.
The Ministry of Construction agreed with the proposal of voters in Ben Tre province on the necessity of researching and establishing an investment project to build Tan Phu bridge to replace Tan Phu ferry and the An Hoa 2 Bridge project on National Highway 57B. This project will meet the expected increased transportation demand when Phu Thuan Industrial Park comes into operation, developing the economy of Ben Tre province in particular, and the Mekong Delta region in general.
The Ministry of Construction recommends that localities prioritize balancing and arranging investment capital for bridges on National Highway 57B as recommended by voters. The Ministry will coordinate with localities to report to competent authorities for consideration, investment in upgrading and expanding the route in the period of 2026 - 2030.
Regarding investment in projects on National Highway 60, according to the Road Network Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, National Highway 60 has a starting point in My Tho city, Tien Giang province, an end point intersecting with National Highway 61B in Nga Nam town, Soc Trang province, about 147 km long, with a planning scale of level II-III, 2 to 6 lanes.
In recent years, the Ministry of Construction has completed investment in many projects on National Highway 60 in Ben Tre province such as Rach Mieu Bridge, Ham Luong Bridge, Co Chien Bridge, and upgraded sections from Rach Mieu Bridge to Co Chien Bridge.
Currently, the Ministry is investing in the construction of Rach Mieu 2 Bridge to meet transportation needs. In the period up to 2030, the Ministry of Construction has determined to continue to focus resources to complete the investment in Dai Ngai bridge and sections of the route in Tra Vinh and Soc Trang provinces according to the approved plan.
After completing the projects, connecting the entire route will shorten travel time, reduce transportation costs, expand trade and reduce the distance to 80 km compared to National Highway 1 when traveling from Ca Mau, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu to Ho Chi Minh City.
The Ministry of Construction acknowledges the opinions on considering investing in expanding Ham Luong Bridge and will coordinate with the People's Committee of Ben Tre province to report to competent authorities to consider and arrange capital to invest in construction when there are conditions for increased resources and transportation demand on the route.
Regarding the upgrading of sections 2, 3, 4 of the investment project to upgrade, expand and build 4 sections on National Highway 60, the province is requested to continue studying investment under the PPP form.
In case it is not feasible, after the project expires the toll collection period (after 2027), the Ministry of Construction will coordinate with the People's Committee of Ben Tre province to mobilize capital to invest in expanding National Highway 60.
