Bình Dương Province is speeding up the progress of compensation and clearance for an expansion National Highway 13. — VNA/VNS Photo

BÌNH DƯƠNG — Secretary of the Bình Dương Party Committee, Nguyễn Văn Lợi, has directed departments and relevant units to speed up the construction and upgrade progress of National Highway 13 to improve the connectivity of the province and HCM City.

National Highway 13 not only plays the role of the "backbone" traffic axis of the province's transport system, but is also an arterial route connecting the HCM City to Bình Phước and the Central Highlands provinces.

The 62km-long project going through Bình Dương, invested in the form of BOT, has been put into use for many years and has brought positive results by effectively contributing to the socio-economic, industrial and urban development of Bình Dương, meeting the travel needs of the people in the province and in the provinces and cities in the Southern key economic region.

The widening of National Highway 13 from six lanes to eight lanes is expected to cost around VNĐ9 trillion (US$388 million).

Currently, some sections of National Highway 13 have been upgraded and expanded, and the drainage system has been installed.

In recent years, Bình Dương has spent large amounts to improve road infrastructure to enhance transport connectivity with HCM City and nearby provinces, developing concentrated industrial zones and attracting workers from provinces and cities around the country.

The province also plans to expand and upgrade Mỹ Phước - Tân Vạn expressway and provincial highways No. 743, 747B and 746, which will improve transport to Đồng Nai Province and HCM City.

The upgrade of Mỹ Phước - Tân Vạn expressway is one of the key projects because it connects urban areas and industrial parks, and opens up a freight corridor along the North - South backbone axis parallel to National Highway 13.

This will create favourable conditions for access to Cái Mép - Thị Vải port in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province and the Long Thành international airport in the future, according to the construction department.

The widening of major roads such as National Highway 13 and Mỹ Phước - Tân Vạn between concentrated industrial zones has eased travel to ports.

The province is always looking to develop transport infrastructure to help ship goods to other provinces and abroad.

It plans to further improve transport connectivity by developing waterways and, in the future, create a rail link to transport goods to ports in HCM City and Đồng Nai Province. — VNS