On the morning of May 22, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang presented to the National Assembly the Pre-Feasibility Study Report of the North-South Expressway, the western section of Gia Nghia - Chon Thanh. According to the Minister of Transport, the Gia Nghia - Chon Thanh Expressway is 128.8km long, of which the section passing through Dak Nong province is 27.8km long, and the section passing through Binh Phuoc is 101km long (including 2km connecting to the Ho Chi Minh road, Chon Thanh - Duc Hoa section). According to the plan, this expressway consists of 6 lanes with one-time site clearance, but phase 1 will be divided into 4 complete lanes. The design speed on the route is 100-120 km/h.

Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang (Photo: Quang Vinh).

The Government's report stated that the total preliminary investment for the Gia Nghia - Chon Thanh expressway is VND25,540 billion, of which the State capital is VND12,770 billion (the central budget is over VND10,500 billion, the local budget is over VND2,200 billion) and the investor's capital is VND12,770 billion. The land use demand of the project is about 1,111 hectares. Minister Nguyen Van Thang said that the project preparation time is in 2023 and 2024, construction starts in 2025, and strives to complete in 2026. Proposing to the National Assembly to apply a number of specific mechanisms and policies to implement the project, the Government proposed to allow the head of the competent authority to consider and decide on the appointment of contractors for consulting packages, compensation packages, site clearance and resettlement packages. Reviewing this content, Mr. Vu Hong Thanh, Chairman of the Economic Committee, said that the reviewing agency agreed on the necessity of investment in the project, in order to concretize the 10-year Socio-Economic Development Strategy 2021 - 2030 and the Politburo's resolutions on the development of the Central Highlands and Southeast regions. According to the Economic Committee, the investment in the project will gradually complete the expressway network according to the plan, opening up new development space for localities and strengthening regional connectivity in general and intra-regional connectivity in particular. The project is expected to create momentum, spillover, and facilitate connection with Long Thanh airport and Cai Mep - Thi Vai port, serving the socio-economic development of the Central Highlands and Southeast regions, helping to strengthen national defense and security.

Chairman of the Economic Committee Vu Hong Thanh (Photo: Quang Vinh).

Commenting on the content that needs to be clarified, the examining agency is concerned about the proposals related to the scope of investment and route direction according to the Government's submission. The road network planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, clearly states that the Gia Nghia - Chon Thanh section is 140km long. However, the Government's submission shows that the project is 128.8km long. The Economic Committee requested further clarification on the investment proposal to change the starting and ending points, reducing the length of the project compared to the planning. The examining agency also requested consideration of expanding the investment in the 2km connecting section of the project to a standard 4-lane scale, ensuring synchronous connection to promote the investment efficiency of the Ho Chi Minh City - Chon Thanh expressway that is being invested in. Regarding the investment method, the Government proposed investment under the public-private partnership (PPP) method. However, the appraisal agency stated that attracting investors and credit institutions to invest in projects is difficult in practice. Therefore, this agency proposed to supplement the basis to ensure feasibility, avoiding the need to convert to public investment. Regarding the impact on parallel BOT traffic projects, the Economic Committee said that there are 2 BOT projects parallel to the Project: BOT Bridge 38 - Dong Xoai town and the project to upgrade and expand National Highway 14, section Km817-Km887, Dak Nong province. Therefore, investing in the Gia Nghia - Chon Thanh expressway will reduce revenue and change the initial financial plan of the above two projects. The Government's report has not clarified the level of impact on BOT projects, so the review agency recommends adding more specific solutions for the plan to handle parallel BOT traffic projects, so that the National Assembly has a basis for consideration and decision, avoiding impacts on the investment and business environment and the future exploitation and operation of the project.

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/trinh-quoc-hoi-du-an-cao-toc-hon-25500-ty-dong-dai-128km-20240522110726266.htm