A map showing the route the Hà Tiên - Rạch Giá - Bạc Liêu Expressway, whose construction is expected to begin in 2024, will take. — Photo courtesy of CIPM

MEKONG DELTA — Construction of the Hà Tiên - Rạch Giá - Bạc Liêu Expressway in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta will begin construction in 2024.

Trần Văn Thi, general director of the Cửu Long Corporation for Investment Development and Project Management of Infrastructure (CIPM), said the Ministry of Transport has sought a pre-feasibility study for the VNĐ33 trillion (US$1.4 billion), 225km expressway by July.

The money for the work will come from multilateral agencies and reciprocal capital from the Government.

The expressway, which will pass through four provinces, will have four lanes and a speed limit of 80km per hour.

Starting in Hà Tiên City in Kiên Giang Province, it will go through Long Mỹ District in Hậu Giang Province and Thạnh Trị District in Sóc Trăng Province before ending at Bạc Liêu City in Bạc Liêu Province.

It will connect the Xà Xía International Border Gate in Hà Tiên, National Highway 1A, road N1 connecting Long An, Đồng Tháp and An Giang provinces, and the eastern and western sections of the North-South Expressway.

The work is expected to take two years, Thi said.

The expressway will improve transport infrastructure, contributing to the socio-economic development in the delta and enhancing inter-regional transportation network, and help link Việt Nam with Cambodia.

Work on several transport infrastructure projects in the delta is being speeded up.

The 51km Lộ Tẻ - Rạch Sỏi Highway between Cần Thơ City and Kiên Giang Province will open to traffic by the end of September.

The Trung Lương - Mỹ Thuận Expressway, also 51km, will be completed by the end of this year, while work on the 23km Mỹ Thuận - Cần Thơ Expressway will begin in October this year and be completed by the end of next year.

Construction of the 155km Châu Đốc - Cần Thơ - Sóc Trăng Expressway is expected to start in 2023 and take three years.

The 28km An Hữu - Cao Lãnh Expressway through Tiền Giang and Đồng Tháp provinces and the 26km Mỹ An - Cao Lãnh Expressway in Đồng Tháp will be built in 2021-25. — VNS