Construction of Tuy An Tunnel of Chí Thạnh - Vân Phong Expressway. Photo danviet.vn

HÀ NỘI The Ministry of Construction has asked project management units (PMU) of 2, 6 and 7 to complete the tunnels on the North-South Expressway before the end of 2025.

According to report of Economic and Investment Management Department, there are 17 tunnels on the North-South Expressway which have a total length of more than 21km, eight are 9km long and two have between four and six operational lanes.

Among nine tunnels that are 13km long, only two have been dug and all of those are only of a two-lane structure.

The remaining tunnels have reinforced concrete tunnel shells, areas to be used as rescue and escape tunnels, but have not had investment in surface drainage systems, electromechanical systems, and tunnel access roads.

The ongoing construction is using capital from component projects but will also involve some reallocation of funds.

The ministry has approved investment plans to complete four tunnels of Sơn Triệu, Thần Vũ, Cù Mông and Núi Vung, while five others have not yet received investment approval for completion including Đèo Bụt of 778m long in the Vũng Áng–Bùng section,  Tunnel No 1 of 698m long, Tunnel No 2 with a length of 575m, and Tunnel No 3 – 3.2km in the Quảng Ngãi–Hoài Nhơn section, and Tuy An Tunnel - 1km in the Chí Thạnh–Vân Phong section.

The component projects of the North–South Expressway for the 2021–2025 period are expected to be essentially completed and opened to traffic in 2025.

Operating a single tunnel tube with only two lanes poses risks of traffic congestion during incidents (within the tunnel) or peak periods such as public holidays and Tết, when traffic volume surges.

“It is necessary for project developers to propose the full construction of dual tunnel tubes so they can be operated independently and synchronously with the expressway sections. This will increase traffic capacity, ensure safety during operation and improve investment efficiency,” said a representative of the Ministry of Construction.

The North–South Expressway includes 12 component projects, with a total length of 729km passing through 32 provinces and cities, and has a total investment capital of VNĐ146.990 trillion (US$5.8 billion).

At present, the total estimated cost to complete all 12 projects as per approved designs is about VNĐ141.347 trillion ($5.58 billion), including investment in traffic management systems, non-stop toll collection, vehicle load control, contractual bonuses and other anticipated costs. Therefore, the remaining surplus is about VNĐ5.637 trillion ($222 million).

If the investment is used to complete five tunnel structures along the route, the total cost will not exceed the approved total investment capital of $5.8 billion and will not require an adjustment of the investment policy for the 2021–2025 North–South Expressway Project, the ministry affirmed.

Sufficient balance for tunnel completion

According to PMU 6, the investment required to complete the Đèo Bụt Tunnel on the Vũng Áng–Bùng section is estimated at over VNĐ265 billion ($10.45 million), while the remaining budget (after accounting for the traffic management system, non-stop toll collection, and load control) is over VNĐ955 billion ($37.7 million), which is enough to complete the tunnel.

For the Quảng Ngãi–Hoài Nhơn section, the total cost to complete three tunnels is about VNĐ1.430 trillion ($56.4 million), divided as follows Tunnel No 1 – VNĐ159 billion ($6.3 million), Tunnel No 2 – over VNĐ219 billion ($8.6 million), Tunnel No 3 – over VNĐ819 billion ($32.3 million), and the tunnel traffic control system – nearly VNĐ234 billion ($9.2 million).

The project’s remaining budget after other investments is just over VNĐ316 billion ($12.5 million), insufficient to complete all three tunnels.

Based on this, PMU 2 proposed using the remaining project funds to immediately complete Tunnel No 1 and requested an additional VNĐ1.1 trillion ($43.4 million) to complete tunnels No 2 and 3.

On the Chí Thạnh–Vân Phong section, the investment needed to complete the Tuy An Tunnel is about VNĐ225 billion ($8.9 million).

However, the project's remaining funds have been fully used and additional components costing about VNĐ281 billion ($11.1 million) have emerged.

PMU 7, therefore, requested additional funds to complete the Tuy An Tunnel.

The total cost to fully complete the five aforementioned tunnels is estimated at nearly VNĐ1.9 trillion ($75.8 million), of which two component projects of Quảng Ngãi–Hoài Nhơn and Quy Nhơn–Chí Thạnh face a shortfall of over VNĐ1.6 trillion ($64 million) that needs to be reallocated from surplus budgets of other component projects.

Upon reviewing the budget, to avoid adjustments to approved project plans, the department proposed reallocations. A surplus of about VNĐ1.5 trillion ($60.1 million) of the Bùng–Vạn Ninh project under PMU 6 will be transferred to the Quảng Ngãi–Hoài Nhơn project and the Chí Thạnh–Vân Phong project, with over VNĐ1.1trillion ($44 million) and  VNĐ87 billion ($3.4 million, respectively.

Meanwwhile, a surplus of nearly VNĐ419 billion ($16.6 million) of Vân Phong–Nha Trang project will be reallocated to cover the full amount of the Chí Thạnh–Vân Phong project.

According to the Ministry of Construction, the 2025 capital plan is expected to have a surplus of about VNĐ1.868 trillion ($73.7 million), which is enough to cover tunnel completion costs.

With consensus on the investment policy for tunnel completion, the ministry has tasked project management units with promptly preparing and submitting revised project plans for approval by June 2025.

Design assessments and cost estimates should be completed by August 2025, with construction procedures to follow shortly thereafter to expedite project delivery and enhance investment efficiency. VNS