The North - South Expressway project, Cao Bo - Mai Son section, started construction in December 2019 with a total main route length of 15.2km; 22km service road; 7 bridges and 3 underpasses for people.
The project is invested by the Department of Transport of Ninh Binh province (now the Department of Construction) and has completed phase 1 and put into operation since early 2022.
Currently, the project investor is implementing an expansion from 4 lanes to 6 complete lanes, along with an intelligent transportation system (ITS); vehicle weight control system; toll stations are built synchronously according to the standards of the expressway.
Mr. Nguyen Viet Ngoc - Director of the Construction Investment Project Management Board (under the Department of Construction of Ninh Binh province) said that according to the plan, the Cao Bo - Mai Son expressway expansion project will be completed and put into use in 2026.
However, the investor is currently urging the contractor to focus on human resources and machinery to speed up the progress and is expected to complete it 6 months ahead of schedule (expected to be completed and put into use in June 2026).
The project's construction is still ensuring the set progress. However, for the implementation of the intelligent transportation system (TS) project, the vehicle weight control and non-stop toll collection system on the Cao Bo - Mai Son expressway is facing difficulties and problems.
Mr. Ngoc said that according to the plan, the Cao Bo - Mai Son expressway expansion project will not be completed until the end of 2026. However, the Ministry of Construction is currently resolutely directing investors to urgently deploy the construction of a smart traffic management system, non-stop electronic toll collection and vehicle weight control at public investment component projects of the North-South expressway projects in the East to implement the collection of highway tolls in early 2026.
Meanwhile, the Cao Bo - Mai Son expressway expansion project is under construction, unable to be completed in time to continue implementing the smart traffic system project and non-stop electronic toll collection...
"It is very difficult to deploy the construction of a smart traffic management system, collect non-stop electronic fees and control vehicle loads on the Cao Bo - Mai Son expressway and put it into use in early 2026. Because in reality, the construction of the road is not yet complete" - Mr. Ngoc said.
Previously, on November 7, the Ministry of Construction issued a document requesting the Department of Construction of Ninh Binh province to urgently deploy a smart traffic management system, collect non-stop electronic fees and control vehicle loads on the Cao Bo - Mai Son expressway.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Construction requested the Department of Construction of Ninh Binh province to urgently carry out procedures for appraisal, approval of design documents and estimate of design steps for implementation after basic design according to regulations.
At the same time, select contractors, sign contracts and start construction for items in the intelligent traffic management system, collect non-stop electronic fees and control vehicle loads of the Cao Bo - Mai Son expressway project.
Deploy solutions to speed up implementation progress and prioritize early implementation of the non-stop electronic toll collection system to ensure that it does not affect the implementation of toll collection at public investment component projects of the North - South Expressway Project in the East from the beginning of 2026.
In case the progress of implementing the electronic toll collection system does not stop at the Cao Bo - Mai Son section and cannot meet the requirements for completion in 2025 to implement toll collection from the beginning of 2026, the Department of Construction of Ninh Binh province is responsible for coordinating with the Thang Long Project Management Board and related units to study and propose appropriate solutions.
