A section of the South-North Expressway. — VNA/VNS Photo Việt Hùng

HÀ NỘI — The North-South Expressway will be equipped with a smart traffic system when put into operation to ensure efficient management and operation of vehicles, according to the Ministry of Transport.

The ministry recently asked relevant offices to install the intelligent traffic system (ITS) and a toll collection system for some sections of the expressway in the east.

For five sub-projects invested in the form of public-private partnership (PPP), the Ministry of Transport assigned its Public-Private Partnership Department to consult the ministry on plans for management and operation as well as for installing the terminal equipment and selecting toll collection service providers to implement automatic non-stop toll collection.

The ministry requested the project management boards review all technical design dossiers and cost estimates of the ITS to promptly update and propose adjustments, said the ministry’s leader.

For three projects of Mai Sơn-Highway 45, Vĩnh Hảo-Phan Thiết, and Phan Thiết-Dầu Giây which changed the mode of investment from the PPP to using the State budget, the ministry requires the Project Management Board No. 6 to promptly hand over all documents related to the ITS to the Project Management No. 7 and Thăng Long Project Management Board, he said.

In addition, Project Management No. 7 was asked to propose and report to the ministry the plan of investing in software for the ITS and toll collection system for the three projects and gradually for all projects of the eastern expressway.

The ministry’s Science and Technology Department is in charge of reviewing and giving consultancy during the process of implementing the ITS and the automatic non-stop toll collection.

The ministry requested the Directorate for Roads of Việt Nam (DRVN) to propose projects on the operation and management for the ITS system and toll collection, and construction of the regional operating centres for the sections of the expressway in the east and others in 2021-2025.

The DRVN will also determine plans to recover capital and repay the State budget for the projects using State funds.

The North-South Expressway is set to have a total length of 1,811km, connecting Hà Nội and southern Cần Thơ Province.

The eastern North-South expressway project includes 11 sub-projects with a total length of 654km running through 13 provinces and cities. 

The 11 sub-projects are estimated to cost a total of VNĐ118 trillion (US$5.04 billion), including VNĐ55 trillion (US$2.35 billion) in State capital in three public investment projects, and counterpart funds for the other eight projects.  VNS