Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc inspects the progress of the Trung Lương-Mỹ Thuận highway project yesterday in Tam Hiệp Commune, Châu Thành District in the southern province of Tiền Giang. VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

 HÀ NỘI - Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on Friday visited the construction site of the Trung Lương-Mỹ Thuận Highway in the southern province of Tiền Giang, a crucial road connecting HCM City and southern localities.

Reporting to the PM, the construction’s management board said their work progress had been slow due to a shortage of materials caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and drought in the Mekong Delta.

However, 60 per cent of the work had been completed, and they were confident the road would be open at the end of this year as scheduled, they said.

PM Phúc said that was major progress, considering only 10 per cent of the workload was completed in the first 10 years the highway was under construction from 2009.

He asked the Ministry of Transport to keep an eye on the progress and get the highway built as soon as possible since it would play a major role in the socio-economic development of the Mekong Delta.

He also said the ministry should start working on building other stretches of the highway which connect the southern provinces of Tiền Giang, Cần Thơ and Cà Mau with HCM City.

The ministry should submit a proposal on toll collection on the highway next week for his consideration, PM Phúc said.

This is the third time the PM has visited the site since construction activities resumed in March 2019 after delays due to COVID-19. VNS