Transport minister Nguyễn Văn Thể (second right) with Hải Dương Province's leaders check the road in the west of Hải Dương City. — VNA/VNS Photo Mạnh Tú

HÀ NỘI — Ministry of Transport (MoT) has asked the Việt Nam Infrastructure Development and Finance Investment Joint Stock Company (VIDIFI) to urgently repair severely damaged sections of National Highway 5.

Toll collection on the road will be suspended if the company is slow in repairing, transport minister Nguyễn Văn Thể said at a meeting on Tuesday with Hải Dương Province’s authorities.

National Highway No 5, connecting Hà Nội to the northeastern port city of Hải Phòng, runs through two provinces Hưng Yên and Hải Dương.

The minister requested the Directorate for Roads of Việt Nam (DRVN) to instruct VIDIFI to use all resources to repair the road and signals, speed bumps as well as road reflector systems.

The company must closely coordinate with the ministry’s units and local authorities to find finances to install necessary equipment to ensure safety in densely populated areas, he said.

Speaking at the meeting, provincial Party Committee Secretary Nguyễn Mạnh Hiển said the protracted repairs have greatly affected local economic development.

The ministry needed to tighten management and supervision of VIDIFI's repair work to ensure safety for road users, he said.

The province also proposed the transport ministry instruct Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) investors to perform management and maintenance work in a timely manner.

Hiển said the province also wanted to improve traffic safety , such as replacing the median strip with concrete, reflective panels, anti-glare plates, as well as to build more overpasses.

It needs to clarify the responsibilities of the Ministry of Transport, VIDIFI, and local authorities in regards to the many encroachments of traffic safety corridors, he noted.

Regarding the requests from Hải Dương's authorities, Thể asked the transport departments and DRVN to review legal documents to make appropriate amendments and submit to the Government and the National Assembly.

He also asked the General Department of Roads to install speed-limit signs on National Highway 5 and calculate a fee reduction to attract trucks to travel on the Hà Nội-Hải Phòng Expressway.

It was also told to research building intersections on the Hà Nội-Hải Phòng Expressway to create favourable conditions for people and enterprises to transport goods.

According to Lê Quý Tiệp, director of Hải Dương Transport Department, the province has recorded 141 traffic accidents so far this year.

The accidents have left 126 dead and 62 injured from the beginning of this year to July 20. — VNS