HÀ NỘI — The northern province of Sơn La People’s Committee has proposed the Government approve the Hòa Bình-Mộc Châu Expressway project to better connect two northern provinces of Hòa Bình and Sơn La as well as Hà Nội and northwestern provinces.

Over VNĐ20.8 trillion (US$909 million) is needed to build an 85-km-long expressway under a Public-Private Partnership contract.

The four-lane expressway is designed to start in Trung Minh Commune in Hòa Bình City and end in Phiêng Luông Commune, Mộc Châu District in Sơn La Province.

If the project is approved this year, it could be open to traffic by 2022, allowing vehicles to travel at an average speed of 80km per hour.

The construction of the expressway will require land clearance over an area of about 870ha, including 503ha in Hòa Bình Province and 367ha in Sơn La Province.

Once the Hòa Bình-Mộc Châu expressway is opened, traveling time from Hà Nội to Mộc Châu will be reduced to two hours by coaches instead of over three hours as currently.

The expressway will also make National Highway No 6 no longer the only road from Hà Nội to Mộc Châu, thus is expected to help boost development of Mộc Châu National Tourism Area and Hòa Bình Lake Tourism Area.

Early last month, Deputy Prime Minister Trịnh Đình Dũng asked the Transport Ministry, People’s Committees in two provinces and other relevant agencies to prepare a proposal on the expressway so that the Government will add it to national planning on expressways. — VNS