Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính speaks at a meeting with Government leaders and authorities on Tuesday, which reviews pre-feasibility study reports for five major traffic constructions of the country. VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

HÀ NỘI — Five major transport projects of the country are expected to be carried out from now until 2026.

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on Tuesday met with other Government leaders and authorities to discuss the feasibility of the construction of two ring roads in Hà Nội and HCM City, and three expressways in the southern region.

Pre-feasibility study reports were presented for the Ring Road 4 in the capital city, Ring Road 3 in HCM City, as well as for the Châu Đốc–Cần Thơ–Sóc Trăng Expressway, Khánh Hòa–Buôn Ma Thuột Expressway, and Biên Hòa – Vũng Tàu Expressway.

The leaders discussed planning issues, legal procedures, resource mobility, land clearance, and other technical features of the projects.

Speaking at the meeting, PM Chính said the infrastructure would connect major economic hubs and key routes in regions, cities and provinces, and building more expressways would be one of the major missions of the Party’s 2021-26 tenure, which was identified at the 18th National Party Congress.

“We have built 700 kilometres, and today the Government and leaders of ministries, sectors and localities meet to plan the construction of another 500 kilometres,” he said.

“If the plans are approved by the Politburo and National Assembly, we will have built 1,200 kilometres of expressway this tenure.”

It required major focus and determination from the central to local governments to reach this goal, the PM added.

He assigned Deputy Prime Ministers Lê Minh Khái and Lê Văn Thành to be in charge of the projects, directing ministries, sectors and localities to allocate capital and keep track of the progress.

They must ensure that the five projects would be completed during this tenure, he said.

PM Chính agreed that the capital would be mobilised on a 50-50 basis, half from the central Government and half from local budgets. It would be taken from the public investment programme within the medium-term, socio-economic recovery programmes, and other sources.

Leaders of sectors involved in the projects must review previous projects, avoid constant changes of policies, and have capital recovery plans. Authorities of provinces where the three expressways pass would be the public investors of those constructions.   

The PM stressed that the expressways must follow the straightest, shortest routes possible, even running through rivers, mountains, and fields. They should not go through residential areas to avoid large land clearance costs, and create new space for development.

He asked the ministers and sectors involved to speed up technical studies of the projects, minimise procedures, and present the implementation plans to the Politburo and National Assembly on schedule. VNS