Workers set up scaffolding in preparation for building the bridge's beams. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — An overpass connecting Cầu Giấy District’s Mai Dịch Commune and Bắc Từ Liêm District’s Nam Thăng Long is set to be completed by September 2020, the Vietnam News Agency has reported.
The project aims to ease traffic congestion at gateways to the city as well as reduce the travel time to and from Nội Bài International Airport.
The overpass is part of the elevated beltway road No. 3 and was divided into two bidding packages. 
According to the investor, Thăng Long Project Management Board, the project was launched in May 2018. Its two components have lagged behind the initial schedule by between 5.3 and 5.6 per cent due to some changes in the technical designs.
“The transport of beams, weighing about 100 tonnes and using super-heavy tanks, need to be approved by the Directorate for Roads of Việt Nam, leading to the delay in constructing arches and the bridge surface,” said Phạm Thanh Bình, deputy director of the board.
The board's director Dương Viết Roãn said they had urged contractors to accelerate construction and commit to finishing it by September 2020.
Transport minister Nguyễn Văn Thể on Monday said budget disbursement and construction of the overpass had not met requirements despite the board's efforts.
Since the beginning of 2019, the project has disbursed VNĐ320 billion (US$13.7 million), accounting for only 30 per cent of the initial plan.
“It is important to meet the schedule, yet construction quality has to be the top priority,” said Thể. "Thăng Long Project Management Board and related agencies need to tightly monitor all procedures to prevent any wrongdoing."
The project’s investment of VNĐ5.3 trillion ($228.3 million) was allocated from the official development assistance of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
To build the overpass, Hà Nội cut down nearly 1,200 trees along the road connecting Mai Dịch Commune to Thăng Long Bridge. — VNS