Dầu Giây toll station on Long Thành -Dầu Giây Expressway is invested in by Việt Nam Expressway Corporation. — Photo courtesy of VEC

HÀ NỘI — The State-owned Việt Nam Expressway Corporation (VEC) will implement automatic non-stop toll collection (ETC) on all five expressways under its management across the country by the third quarter this year.

VEC has just reported to the Ministry of Transport on the ETC system for the expressways under its management.

Accordingly, VEC had completed the investment, installation and operation of the ETC system on the Cầu Giẽ-Ninh Bình Expressway from June 2020 for 15 lanes.

The system is currently operating effectively, with the service rate accounting for 51 per cent of the whole line's revenue.

The remaining expressways include Nội Bài-Lào Cai, HCM City-Long Thành-Dầu Giây, Bến Lức-Long Thành, Đà Nẵng-Quảng Ngãi and some other sections of Cầu Giẽ-Ninh Bình.

VEC approved and issued bidding documents for selecting ETC service providers from May this year.

It was expected that the VEC would close the bid on May 25 and complete the contractor selection on June 30.

After selecting the contractor,  the VEC will request it install the ETC system so that by mid-August the system is in operation for the Cầu Giẽ-Ninh Bình and HCM City-Long Thành-Dầu Giây expressways. And by the end of September, the ETC  will be applied to all the expressways operated by VEC.

Previously, the Ministry of Transport reported to Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on the progress of implementing the ETC on VEC-invested highway projects.

VEC selected the option of hiring companies to provide investment and operation services for ETC on the highways managed by the VEC.

With this option, the cost of service hire is taken from the current toll management cost by the VEC, ensuring the progress under the direction of the Government on investing ETC system by the second quarter of this year and not affecting the VEC’s financial plan.

The Commission for the Management of State Capital at Enterprises then issued a document confirming the VEC's proposal of deploying the procedures for hiring a package service of ETC and manual toll collection operation was necessary and suitable with the financial plan for five VEC projects.

However, the commission requested the VEC study and set up ETC projects for each VEC project according to the approval of the ministries of Information and Communications, Finance, and Transport.

Currently, the VEC has consulted the ministries of Information and Communications and Finance but has not yet received instructions.

The VEC approved the plan to hire toll collection services and a contractor selection plan to ensure progress. — VNS