Open up new development space
On October 28, Mr. Cao Minh Duc - Director of the Department of Transport of Ben Tre province - said that recently, the construction project of Ba Lai 8 bridge on the coastal road project in the West has started, creating a premise to promote the implementation of the remaining projects on the coastal road in the West.
The coastal road in the West passing through Ben Tre is considered the intersection of national traffic routes. The North connects with Tien Giang province via National Highway 50, to Long An, Ho Chi Minh City and the Southeast provinces; the South connects with Tra Vinh province via National Highway 53, National Highway 54 and Co Chien Bridge on National Highway 60 to Soc Trang - Bac Lieu - Ca Mau; the West connects with Vinh Long via National Highway 57 to Dong Thap.
In addition, the horizontal expressway network expected to be formed in the period 2025 - 2030 (including Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang and Ha Tien - Rach Gia - Bac Lieu) will connect traffic with the vertical axis of the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong - My Thuan - Can Tho expressway.
According to Mr. Duc, the coastal road project in the West was built under the DPO program, using loans from 6 credit institutions in the world. "When the coastal road in the West is completed, it will help localities open up new development space. For Ben Tre, it will create momentum for development in accordance with the planning orientation of Ben Tre province towards the sea," said Mr. Duc.
Awaken the wasteland
According to the Ben Tre Provincial Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, the planning scheme for the coastal development space expansion area (oriented to expand about 50,000 hectares), Ben Tre will prioritize the development of high-tech industries and fields, deep processing of agricultural, aquatic and seafood products, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, logistics services, urban areas, trade, resort tourism and entertainment, culture and sports, golf courses in the three districts of Binh Dai, Thanh Phu and Ba Tri.
Previously on October 2, speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Ba Lai 8 bridge project, Mr. Nguyen Hoa Binh - Member of the Politburo, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister of the Government - welcomed Ben Tre province for taking the lead in implementing and constructing the first coastal road in the West. This is a meaningful project not only for Ben Tre but also for the entire Mekong Delta region, which will create a breakthrough for Ben Tre and the entire Mekong Delta region, awakening a sleepy, barren land into a potential, vibrant economic area in the future.
Permanent Deputy Prime Minister of the Government emphasized that this is the road connecting Ben Tre with the coastal provinces of the Mekong Delta, breaking the isolation, helping the infrastructure to connect synchronously with the highways; shortening the travel distance to Ho Chi Minh City by a few dozen kilometers, reducing the load on National Highway 1, thereby significantly reducing logistics costs. With this road, Ben Tre can reclaim land with an area of up to 50,000 hectares.
For neighboring provinces such as Tien Giang and Tra Vinh, the project also brings similar opportunities. From there, it opens up opportunities for strong socio-economic development, improving the material and spiritual life of the people.