The policy of merging the two provinces of Quang Ngai and Kon Tum has been agreed upon by the central government. However, currently, National Highway 24 - the main artery connecting Quang Ngai with Kon Tum province - is seriously degraded. In particular, 58km from Ba To town (Ba To district) to Hieu commune, Kon Plong district, Kon Tum is still a grade 4 mountainous road.
This is also the most difficult section of the route to travel due to having to cross the pass, many winding curves, and degraded roadbed. At the same time, the lack of traffic safety equipment such as reflective nails, reflective road markings, etc. causes vehicles to move slowly, posing a potential risk of accidents, especially in foggy conditions.
Mr. Nguyen Phuc Nhan - Director of the Department of Construction of Quang Ngai province - said that the unit has proactively developed a report and proposed a plan to repair and invest in upgrading traffic axes on National Highway 24, a vital traffic route connecting the two provinces of Quang Ngai - Kon Tum to facilitate storage and shorten time. In the immediate future, in 2025, repairs to damaged locations on National Highway 24 will be implemented with allocated funding. In the following years, repair and maintenance work will continue to be carried out according to plan.
Mr. Nguyen Phuc Nhan also said that the Department of Construction has proposed the provincial People's Committee to propose the Ministry of Construction to upgrade 58km of National Highway 24, the section from Ba To town to Hieu commune meets the standard of mountainous roads, with a 9m wide road according to the plan approved by the Prime Minister and synchronously with the invested routes to meet transport needs. The project has an estimated total investment of 2,350 billion dong, which is expected to eliminate the "bottlenecks" of traffic today.
Kon Tum Provincial Party Secretary Duong Van Trang said that after the merger, the new provincial center will be located in Quang Ngai city, the distance between the province and the satellite city of Kon Tum city is currently more than 180km. In border communes alone, the distance can be up to 300km, the travel takes more than a day.
Meanwhile, the terrain is difficult, the traffic infrastructure has not met the requirements, especially the main route of National Highway 24 has only been fully invested in at both ends, while the middle section is 62km long, with a steep pass, and the road surface is narrow.
Therefore, after merging the two provinces of Quang Ngai and Kon Tum, it is necessary to carefully calculate to make travel more convenient, creating conditions to promote socio-economic development.
Mr. Duong Van Trang said that although the Central Government has a policy to invest in the Quang Ngai - Kon Tum expressway, it is only at the pre-feasibility study stage and as soon as possible until 2028 to complete and put it into operation.
Therefore, it is very necessary to invest in upgrading and expanding the remaining section of National Highway 24. Later, when the Quang Ngai - Kon Tum expressway came into operation, National Highway 24 was still a vital route to promote the development of the province.
