According to the report of the Provincial Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board, currently the movement from the expressway to Y Ty mainly takes two routes: Ban Vuoc - Muong Hum - Y Ty (about 50 km) and Ban Vuoc - Trinh Tuong - Y Ty (about 52 km).
However, the terrain is heavily divided, the infrastructure is not synchronized, posing a risk of traffic unsafety, especially in the rainy season, not meeting the requirements of tourism development and investment attraction.
Based on the survey, the consulting unit proposed 3 new route options, designed according to mountainous road standards of level III, 4 lanes, speed of 60 km/h, maximum vertical slope of 6%.
Option 1 from Ngoi Phat bridge to Y Ty is 46 km long, with a total investment of about 20,000 billion VND; option 2 from Ban Vuoc border bridge to Y Ty is 47 km long, with a total investment of about 30,000 billion VND; option 3 from Trinh Tuong to Y Ty is 34 km long, with a total investment of about 13,000 billion VND. The options are all expected to have large-scale items such as deep-cut arch bridges, cable-stayed bridges, cable-stayed bridges, mountain tunnels...
According to the initial assessment of the consulting unit, option 1 - deploying the route to the West, combining an overpass over the Ngoi Phat stream and a tunnel about 1.1 km long - is considered more feasible due to reducing the total investment and limiting the impact on minerals, natural forests, and environmental landscape.
At the conference, representatives of departments and sectors focused on analyzing the investment necessity, technical standards, scale, site clearance plans and environmental impacts. Some opinions suggested that it is necessary to carefully review geological conditions, protection forests, national defense - security factors; and at the same time calculate the development of land funds to serve tourism and urban infrastructure to choose the optimal plan.
Concluding, Standing Vice Chairman of Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee Nguyen The Phuoc emphasized that the study of investing in a direct connecting road from the expressway to Y Ty is of strategic significance in completing the transportation network in the western region of the province; creating motivation for socio-economic development, especially ecotourism and community tourism.
Leaders of the Provincial People's Committee requested the Project Management Board and consulting unit to fully absorb opinions, complete the plan in the direction of technical optimization, economic efficiency, and minimizing environmental impact; and at the same time calculate the ability to synchronously connect with existing routes and orient Sa Pa - Y Ty linkage in the future.
According to the plan, in March, it will be agreed to choose the route direction, prepare a pre-feasibility report to submit to the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee for comments, as a basis for early completion of the project, and submit it to the Lao Cai Provincial People's Council for consideration and decision on investment policy.
