HÀ NỘI — Two options for toll fee collection at Cai Lậy Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) toll booth in Tiền Giang Province will be submitted to the Prime Minister for approval, said Nguyễn Danh Huy, head of the public-private partnership project management and investment board under the Ministry of Transport, on Tuesday.

Huy said the first option is to maintain the booth’s location on National Highway No1 and reduce toll fees for all types of vehicles by 30 per cent. Fees for cars under 12 seats, trucks under two tonnes and buses will be slashed from VNĐ25,000 to VNĐ15,000.

For the second option, a sub-station will be constructed on the bypass and toll fees will be collected at both stations. The Cai Lậy booth on National Highway No1 will charge VNĐ15,000 per vehicle per time. Toll collection on the alternative road would be VNĐ25,000 per time for cars under 12 seats, trucks under two tonnes and buses.

The Cai Lậy booth in the Mekong Delta province of Tiền Giang, one of the most controversial projects, is located on National Highway No1; however, it collects fees for a 12km bypass of Cai Lậy Town, while some drivers only travel on the highway. Fees range from VNĐ35,000 (US$1.5) to VNĐ180,000 ($7.8), depending on the type of vehicle.

The high fees and inappropriate location prompted drivers to protest several times last year.

Although it started collecting fees on August 1 last year, the toll station temporarily suspended operations from August 14 because of strong opposition from drivers. The second protest broke out in December last year after the toll was re-opened following three months of suspension.

This month, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc ordered the transport ministry and other relevant sectors and localities to review and address shortcomings arising from BOT projects in an open and transparent manner.

Tuesday was the deadline for the Ministry of Transport to submit its report on solutions to address these problems to the PM.

Nguyễn Trí Đức, chief of the ministry’s secretariat, said that they would submit the report on the deadline.

According to the ministry, there are 88 BOT toll stations nationwide, of which 74 are managed by the transport ministry. Others are under the control of provincial people’s committees. — VNS