QUẢNG NINH — An expressway linking Vân Đồn and Móng Cái districts in the northern province of Quảng Ninh will be built under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) and public-private partnership (PPP) contract, according to the provincial People’s Committee.

The committee has signed a contract with the joint venture of Long Vân Infrastructure Investment and Development Co., Ltd, Vân Đồn Sun Joint Stock Company and Công Thành Transportation Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company.

The 80.2km expressway will have a total investment of over VNĐ11.195 trillion (US$486.7 million), with four lanes and is designed for average speeds of 100km per hour.

It will run through the districts of Vân Đồn, Tiên Yên, Đầm Hà, Hải Hà and Móng Cái City.

The route starts in Đoàn Kết Commune, Vân Đồn District and ends at Móng Cái City.

Construction is expected to kick off this year with the payback time estimated for 20 years and slated for completion within 22 months.

The Vân Đồn-Móng Cái expressway will also connect with two other key transport projects of Quảng Ninh, the Hải Phòng – Hạ Long Expressway and Hạ Long - Vân Đồn Expressway, which are expected to be completed this year.

The expressway is among a series of infrastructure projects aimed at boosting the tourism industry.

Projects are hoped to improve the province’s transport infrastructure system, thus contributing to the local socio-economic development and promoting local tourism and border- and marine-economic potential.

In early September, the Bạch Đằng Bridge connecting the northern port city of Hải Phòng and Quảng Ninh was put into operation.

The bridge helps shorten the distance from Hà Nội to Quảng Ninh from 175km to 125km, thus cutting travel time between the two localities in half. — VNS