Can Tho voters requested the Ministry of Construction to direct the construction and completion of infrastructure for expressways in the Mekong Delta (Southwest) in accordance with the set schedule. At the same time, voters emphasized the need to consider and promptly implement the addition of emergency lanes on expressways.
Regarding the content of this proposal, the Ministry of Construction said:
According to the road network planning for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050, the Mekong Delta region is planned to have 7 expressways with a total length of about 1,256 km, with a scale of 4 to 10 lanes to meet future transportation needs.
Of which, this area has 4 vertical expressways with a total length of 665 km and 3 vertical expressways with a length of about 591 km.
Currently, the authorities have completed and put it into operation according to the scale of phase 1 with 4 lanes, a total length of 201 km. 6 projects are under construction and completing investment procedures for implementation in the period of 2021 - 2025, expected to be fully operational in 2026 with a total length of 433 km.
Thus, by 2026, the Mekong Delta will have about 554 km of highways. The remaining expressways will be invested in the period of 2026 - 2030 and after 2030.
In the past, due to limited resources, the authorities have implemented investment phases.
For routes with high transportation needs, the authorities have invested in a complete scale such as the Hanoi - Hai Phong, Dau Giay - Phan Thiet routes, My Thuan 2 bridge...
The expressways put into operation all ensure quality, promote efficiency in socio-economic development, ensure national defense and security, solve congestion in large cities and contribute to reducing traffic accidents.
However, the Ministry of Construction also admitted that there are some limitations in investing in phases according to the scale of expressways.
Many expressways only have a cross-section of 2 lanes, without a median strip, posing a potential risk to traffic safety.
Some 4-lane roads have inconsistent emergency stopping strips, which can cause congestion. In addition, the exploitation speed during the phased phase is also limited.
Implementing the direction of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Construction has reviewed and proposed solutions to soon invest in expanding and completing the expressways in operation according to the scale of the phases as follows:
The Ministry has submitted and approved the Road Law to the National Assembly, including a mechanism to allow the expansion, renovation, upgrading and modernization of expressways under the PPP and BOT methods.
Develop and promulgate national technical regulations on expressways.
Speed up the completion of investment procedures to expand some routes from 2 lanes to 4 lanes and from 4 lanes to 6 lanes.
Review, make a list and arrange investment priority routes, propose reports to competent authorities to expand the remaining routes when there are sufficient resources.
For new investment projects, priority will be given to investment in a scale of 4 complete expressway lanes. In case of having to divide investment phases, it is necessary to carefully study and compare investment options, and at the same time combine them with reasonable traffic organization options to ensure convenience, safety and increase speed in the operation and exploitation process.
Review and increase the speed of exploitation on some investment expressways by phase to 90 km/h.
For projects serving exploitation (resort stations, gas stations, etc.), the Ministry has issued Circular No. 01/2023/TT-BGTVT, guiding the selection of investors for rest stops.
The Ministry has also approved a network of rest stops on the North-South expressway in the East, with a total of 37 stations on a total length of 2,063 km.
The Ministry of Construction is speeding up the investment progress of rest stops at component projects on the North-South expressway in the East, to ensure effective exploitation and create favorable conditions for people to participate in traffic.
