Lai Chau Provincial People's Committee has just proposed to the Prime Minister to consider and submit to the National Assembly for decision on the investment policy of the Bao Ha - Lai Chau expressway project with a complete scale of 4 lanes.
The project has a preliminary total investment of about 65,518 billion VND, expected to be completed and put into operation in 2031. The project is considered one of the largest-scale road infrastructure projects proposed in the Northwest region.
According to Report No. 5699/TTr-UBND of the People's Committee of Lai Chau province, the Bao Ha - Lai Chau expressway (CT.13) has a length of about 162 km.
The starting point connects to the Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway in Bao Ha commune (Lao Cai province), the ending point is in the Ma Lu Thang international border gate area, Phong Tho commune (Lai Chau province).
In which, the section through Lao Cai province is about 49.5 km long, and the section through Lai Chau province is about 112.5 km long.
According to the research plan, the route basically follows the National Highway 279 corridor, crosses Khau Co pass through a road tunnel before going to Lai Chau territory, then goes parallel to National Highway 32, National Highway 4D and connects National Highway 12 to Ma Lu Thang international border gate.
The project is proposed to be invested on a complete scale of 4 lanes, design speed of 80 - 100 km/h. According to preliminary design, the entire route has 118 bridges with a total length of about 49.4 km and 7 mountain tunnels about 11.5 km long.
The route direction is researched to limit the impact on residential areas, production land, forest land and existing works, while ensuring long-term exploitation efficiency.
According to Lai Chau Provincial People's Committee, the expressway will contribute to connecting economic centers, urban areas, tourist areas and mineral exploitation areas, especially Dong Pao rare earth mine.
The project is also expected to create momentum for border gate economic development, strengthening links between the Northwest region and the Capital region, the northern seaport system and Yunnan province (China).
According to the plan, the project is expected to be decided on investment policy by the National Assembly in the fourth quarter of 2026, approve the Feasibility Study Report in 2027, start construction at the end of 2027 and be completed and put into operation in 2031.
