Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and delegates attend a ceremony to kick off the construction of the HCM City – Thủ Dầu Một – Chơn Thành Expressway's Bình Dương section. — VNA/VNS Phôt Dương Giang

BÌNH DƯƠNG — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on February 1 (or the fourth day of the Lunar New Year) attended a groundbreaking ceremony of the HCM City – Thủ Dầu Một – Chơn Thành Expressway’s section running through the southern province of Bình Dương.

The HCM City – Thủ Dầu Một – Chơn Thành Expressway’s Bình Dương section is more than 52km long. It is designed with six lanes, enabling vehicles with maximum speed of 100km per hour.

This is the first expressway connecting HCM City with Bình Dương and Bình Phước provinces, and then with Gia Nghĩa - Chơn Thành expressway to link to the Central Highlands region, thus creating development momentum for the southeast region.

In the first phase 1, it will be built under the public – private partnership (PPP) form with an investment of more than VNĐ8.88 trillion (US$356 million) in 36 months.

Highlighting the importance of the HCM City – Thủ Dầu Một – Chơn Thành Expressway, the PM instructed HCM City to start construction of 3km section of the expressway and Bình Phước Province build 7km, that run through the two localities. Once these sections together with the section in Bình Dương Province are completed, the entire expressway will be smoothly connected to the traffic system, linking the Central Highlands and southeast regions and the whole country.

He asked the People's Committee of Bình Dương Province to direct the project’s investors, supervisors and consultants, and contractors to uphold high sense of responsibility, ensuring that the project meets all deadlines, quality standards, safety, technique, and environmental requirements.

At the same time, they need to mobilise personnel and modern equipment to carry out the construction in accordance with technical requirements and legal regulations, while preventing corruption, waste, and negative practices.

The PM requested relevant central ministries, sectors and localities to closely follow the project, manage the quality and progress, remove difficulties and obstacles during the project implementation process. Besides, localities must actively accelerate site clearance and technical infrastructure relocation. In particular, special attention must be paid to resettlement, supporting affected people stabilise their production.

Also at the event, he praised Bình Dương Province for giving investment decisions to seven social housing projects with a total investment of nearly VNĐ8.5 trillion, expected to provide 9,200 apartments for workers and low-incomers, and granting investment licences to eight foreign investment projects with a total investment of more than $1.2 billion on the occasion. He requested cities and provinces to learn from Bình Dương in developing social housing, and eliminating substandard houses in 2025. — VNS