4 investors propose to expand Hanoi - Bac Giang road to 8 lanes

The Hanoi - Bac Giang Expressway is about 46 km long, currently has 4 lanes, is the gateway to the capital and is also the shortest and vital route connecting Hanoi with China.

A section of the Hanoi - Bac Giang highway (photo: Tran Tuan).

A consortium of four domestic investors, including Van Phu Real Estate Development Joint Stock Company - Dong Son Infrastructure Investment Joint Stock Company - Vietnam Construction and Import-Export Joint Stock Corporation - Ocean Group Joint Stock Company, has just sent a document to the Ministry of Construction regarding the expansion of the Hanoi - Bac Giang expressway.

These are the units that have participated in the investment project to build, renovate and upgrade National Highway 1, Hanoi - Bac Giang section, under the form of a BOT contract.

Accordingly, the above investors proposed that the Ministry of Construction (the competent authority) and the Vietnam Road Administration (the agency signing the project contract) allow the investor/project enterprise to propose the expansion of the Hanoi - Bac Giang expressway to 8 lanes under the PPP method.

In the document sent to the Ministry of Construction, Van Phu Real Estate Development Joint Stock Company - Dong Son Infrastructure Investment Joint Stock Company - Vietnam Construction and Import-Export Joint Stock Corporation - Ocean Group Joint Stock Company did not specify the estimated cost to upgrade and expand the Hanoi - Bac Giang expressway as well as the expected implementation time.

It is known that the project to upgrade National Highway 1 to a 4-lane expressway was completed and put into use on April 23, 2016, and toll collection officially began at 0:00 on May 25, 2016. The expected payback period is 21 years.

According to the Vietnam Road Network Planning for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050, the Hanoi - Bac Giang - Lang Son Expressway (Huu Nghi Border Gate) has a total length of 137 km, with a scale of 6 lanes, of which the Hanoi - Bac Giang section is 46 km long, with a planned scale of 8 expressway lanes.

The Hanoi - Bac Giang Expressway is the shortest and vital route connecting Hanoi with China, especially when the Huu Nghi - Chi Lang section has started construction and is being completed and is expected to be put into operation in 2026.

Currently, the traffic volume through the Toll Station of the BOT Project to invest in construction, renovation and upgrading of National Highway 1, Hanoi - Bac Giang section, is about 53,500 converted vehicles/day and night, not to mention the large number of trucks and containers avoiding the Toll Station through Phu Dong dike road at the end of the route Km155+800.

According to the financial plan of the BOT Contract, the full load traffic of the Hanoi - Bac Giang Expressway in 2022 is 46,656 converted vehicles/day and night. Comparing with the actual data of vehicles passing through the toll station, it can be seen that the traffic volume on the route will continue to increase from 2022 (the average growth rate in the last 3 years is about 11%/year).

This situation has overloaded the infrastructure, does not ensure operating speed when circulating on the route, is often congested, has a very high risk of traffic accidents, and at the same time increases transportation costs, affecting the competitiveness of the region.

“Because it is very necessary to soon invest in upgrading and expanding the Hanoi - Bac Giang expressway to 8 lanes in accordance with the planning,” said representatives of the 4 investors.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/4-nha-dau-tu-de-xuat-mo-rong-duong-ha-noi---bac-giang-len-8-lan-xe-d335020.html