Workers prepare the roadbed for a section of the North-South Expressway. — VNA/VNS Photo Việt Hùng

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Transport is pushing investors and contractors to speed up construction on the North-South Expressway, with a goal of completing 3,000km by 2025.

The expressway, spanning 721.2km across 12 provinces and cities, is divided into 12 component projects comprising 25 construction packages.

Construction commenced on 14 packages in January 2023, while construction on the remaining 11 were started between mid-January and mid-February 2023.

To date, 60.8 per cent of the contracted work, valued at VNĐ58.721 trillion (US$2.31 billion), has been completed.

Progress has been rapid on key sections of the expressway, such as Bãi Vọt-Hàm Nghi and Vân Phong-Nha Trang.

However, delays persist in projects like Quảng Ngãi-Hoài Nhơn, hampered by late land clearance and adverse weather, and in Cần Thơ-Hậu Giang due to challenges in securing construction materials.

In 2024, VNĐ28.967 trillion, about 79 per cent, of the allocated VNĐ36.228 trillion has been disbursed.

The total funding for the 2021-25 expressway programme stands at VNĐ93.63 trillion.

Land clearance for the projects is nearly complete, with 99.96 per cent of the required 721.25km ready for construction.

The remaining 0.19km affects residential areas requiring complex relocation.

Meanwhile, relocation of technical infrastructure, including high-voltage power lines, is progressing steadily.

Material shortages, particularly for the Cần Thơ-Cà Mau section, pose significant challenges. This section requires 3.9 million cubic metres of sand for ground consolidation.

However, current extraction capacity, averaging 36,000 cubic metres daily, falls far short of the 86,000 cubic metres required.

Authorities in Tiền Giang, Bến Tre, and neighbouring provinces are being urged to resolve regulatory bottlenecks and boost material supply.

The Ministry of Transport is working closely with local authorities and contractors to address remaining obstacles in land clearance and material supply. — VNS