In recent times, Can Tho City has been focusing resources on implementing a series of key transport projects to complete regional connectivity infrastructure, promoting socio-economic development. However, the construction process is facing many difficulties, especially in the stages of material supply, site clearance...
Mr. Phan Minh Tri - Deputy Director of the Can Tho City Traffic and Agricultural Construction Investment Project Management Board said that projects such as Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang Expressway (phase 1) and provincial roads 917, 918, 921... have a huge demand for sand and gravel for filling but the supply is limited. Currently, Can Tho does not have its own material mine, and has to transport from other provinces such as An Giang, Dong Thap... causing costs to increase and progress to be slow.
Notably, many sand mines in the area are being prioritized for supply to national expressway projects under special mechanisms, causing local-level projects to fall into a state of shortage of materials. Meanwhile, the Antraco quarry - the main supply of the area has expired since June 2024 and is only allowed to continue operating to serve expressway projects. Many contractors have had to temporarily suspend or delay the construction progress due to lack of materials.
Compensation, support and resettlement are also major obstacles. In the project to upgrade and expand National Highway 91 (Km0 - Km7), there are currently hundreds of cases that have not been considered for legality, have not been approved for compensation plans or have not paid compensation. The total cost for compensation and technical infrastructure is up to more than 1,200 billion VND, but many items are still unfinished.
Similar situations occurred on provincial routes 917, 918 and 921, when the site was handed over intermittently, many locations at the beginning of the bridge and the beginning of the route were still stuck with houses or technical infrastructure works. The delay in handover makes it impossible for contractors to construct synchronously, especially in items with weak soil treatment, requiring a loading time of 12 - 15 months.
For the provincial road 918 project, phase 1, the section from Km1+660 to Km3+130 has been stalled for nearly 3 years because the site has not been handed over. While the price of raw materials (sand, stone...) increased dramatically.
Not only lacking materials and land, some projects are also stuck in licensing, approval and coordination procedures between relevant parties. For example, the Nguyen Chi Thanh bridge and road project (old Vi Thanh city) has not yet approved a compensation plan for 91 households and 2 organizations; or the Provincial Road 925B and Nang Mau canal project (old Hau Giang province) has not been able to disburse capital due to not yet issuing land prices.
According to project management units, if not resolved in time, many projects are at risk of being delayed in handover in 2026, affecting the goal of synchronous infrastructure development in the Mekong Delta.
