HÀ TĨNH – The Project Management Board Unit 85 has submitted a project proposal to the Ministry of Transport to build a highway that would connect Hàm Nghi and Vũng Áng in the central province of Hà Tĩnh.

The 53.4km route would begin at Hàm Nghi Road in Hà Tĩnh City and end in Kỳ Anh Town. The route would have four lanes with a designated speed of 100km per hour. Total investment capital for the project is VNĐ6.7 trillion (US$293 million).

In the first phase, the designed route would be 17m wide with a designated speed of 80km per hour. Thirteen key bridges and three additional bridges would be built on an area of about 362ha.

The unit has requested State budget funds totalling VNĐ2.1 trillion ($94.1 million) and funds from build-operate-transfer (BOT) investors totalling VNĐ5.2 trillion ($234 million).

According to the unit, the BOT investors will be allowed to collect toll fees for 22 years and eight months. After that, the Government will take over the right to operate the road. A toll would be implemented in 2020 at a cost of VNĐ1,500 per vehicle per kilometre. The fee would be increased by 12 per cent every three years.

The project would be launched in the first quarter of next year if it is approved by the Ministry of Transport. The construction process would reach completion in 2020.

The Hàm Nghi-Vũng Áng highway would link the north central region and northern region. It would reduce the traffic on National Highway No 1 and meet growing transport needs on the north-south route, promoting economic development and strengthening traffic safety, the unit said. -- VNS