From infrastructure bottlenecks…

As a mountainous province in the Northeast region, Bac Kan borders Thai Nguyen province, the gateway connecting to Hanoi and the Northern midlands. However, over the years, underdeveloped transport infrastructure has become the biggest bottleneck holding back growth. Bac Kan is a province with “three nos” in terms of strategic infrastructure: no airport, no railway and to date, no expressway.

National Highway 3, the main traffic route connecting Bac Kan with Thai Nguyen and Hanoi, was built during the French colonial period. Although it has undergone many renovations, its scale and operational capacity are still limited. This route passes through many residential areas and rugged mountains, making expansion difficult. Traffic jams, accidents, and difficulties with heavy vehicles occur frequently, greatly affecting regional connectivity, economic development, and investment attraction.

…to new motivation and strategy

In the context of limited transport infrastructure, the implementation of the 28.8 km Cho Moi - Bac Kan expressway with a total investment of more than VND 5,750 billion has opened up great expectations for Bac Kan. This route will connect directly with the Hanoi - Thai Nguyen expressway, forming a continuous expressway axis from the capital to the northern border, completing the national transport axis CT07 and expanding the trade corridor with China through border gates such as Ta Lung and Tra Linh.

Not only a traffic project, the expressway is also a strategic driving force to promote the province's socio-economic development. According to the 2030 Plan, Bac Kan plans to develop many industrial parks and clusters in Bac Kan City, Cho Moi, and Bach Thong. However, traffic constraints make it difficult to attract investment. When the expressway is completed, it will solve the problem of connectivity, reduce logistics costs, and create favorable conditions for large-scale production.

The province is also planning logistics centers in Bac Kan City and Cho Moi, gradually forming a modern industrial and service ecosystem associated with the highway, making Bac Kan a transit point for goods in the Northeast region.

In addition, the expressway will create leverage for the development of the tourism industry. Bac Kan has many famous landscapes such as Ba Be Lake, Ba Be National Park, cave systems, waterfalls, traditional villages..., but has not attracted many tourists due to limited infrastructure. When completed, the expressway will shorten the travel time from Hanoi to about 2.5 hours, opening up investment opportunities in sustainable tourism and creating livelihoods for local people.

In addition, the route also contributes to narrowing regional gaps, helping people access better healthcare and education services, while ensuring national defense and security in emergency situations.

Towards a sustainable future

According to the development orientation in the Bac Kan Provincial Planning for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050, the Cho Moi - Bac Kan expressway is the southern driving force, connecting the urban - industrial area of ​​Bac Kan City, Bach Thong with the growth pole of Cho Moi bordering Thai Nguyen. On this corridor, processing industries, construction materials production, logistics centers, satellite cities and smart services will be strongly developed.

Comrade Dinh Quang Tuyen, Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, assessed: The Cho Moi - Bac Kan expressway not only solves the traffic problem but also helps the province overcome the paradox of development - rich in resources but not yet strongly developed in economy. Completed traffic infrastructure will create opportunities for sustainable exploitation of forest resources, medicinal herbs, eco-tourism, green economic development and reduce dependence on raw resources. The province is coordinating with investors to speed up the progress, striving to open the route in 2026./.

Source: https://baobackan.vn/cao-toc-cho-moi-bac-kan-mach-song-moi-cua-vung-dong-bac-post70533.html