A ground-breaking ceremony on August 19 kicks off construction of the Mỹ Thuận 2 Bridge. — VNA/VNS Photo Phạm Minh Tuấn

HCM CITY — Construction on a cable-stayed bridge that will connect Trung Lương - Mỹ Thuận and Mỹ Thuận - Cần Thơ expressways between HCM City and Cần Thơ began on Wednesday (August 19).

A groundbreaking ceremony was organised by the Ministry of Transport and the people’s committees of Vĩnh Long and Tiền Giang provinces.

Construction of an approach road for the Mỹ Thuận 2 Bridge project started in Tiền Giang Province on February 27.

The project, worth more than VNĐ5 trillion (US$215 million), includes VNĐ3.4 trillion ($145 million) for construction and equipment costs.

It is a component project of the eastern section of the North-South Expressway in the 2017-20 period.

The Mỹ Thuận 2 Bridge will extend from An Thái Trung intersection on the Trung Luong-Mỹ Thuận Expressway in Tiền Giang Province’s Cái Bè District and end at the intersection with National Highway 80 in Vĩnh Long City, the starting point of Mỹ Thuận - Cần Thơ Expressway.

It will be located 350 metres upstream from the existing Mỹ Thuận Bridge on the Tiền River.

The main bridge and approach roads will have a total length of 6.61 kilometres.

With a length of 1.9 kilometres, the main bridge will have six lanes and a speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour.

The approach road in Tiền Giang Province will be 4.3 kilometres long, while the approach road in Vĩnh Long Province will be 0.4 kilometres.

Construction of the project is expected to be completed in 2023.

After completed, it will create a connection between the economic and commercial centres of the south and the Mekong Delta provinces, contributing to the development of transport and logistics systems.

It will also meet the demand for freight transport and passenger transport, and create favourable conditions for socio-economic and cultural development in the southwestern region.

Lê Quang Trung, deputy chairman of Vĩnh Long Province’s People’s Committee, said National Highway 1A, the main route connecting the Mekong Delta with HCM City and the country, has degraded because of high traffic density, especially during holidays, he said.

Trung Lương-Mỹ Thuận Expressway is under construction, while Mỹ Thuận-Cần Thơ Expressway is speeding up site clearance.

When the two expressways open to traffic, congestion is expected on the existing Mỹ Thuận Bridge, he said.

The Mỹ Thuận 2 Bridge project will reduce traffic pressure on the existing bridge and National Highway 1A.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyễn Nhật said the project will create connections for industrial zones, urban centres, key economic centres and important traffic hubs in HCM City and Mỹ Tho, Vĩnh Long and Cần Thơ cities.

It will help develop a multi-modal transport system such as railways, seaports and airports and improve the transport capacity along the eastern North-South transport corridor, in addition to solving the traffic burden at the gateway of the cities.

Nhật asked the project’s management board and its contractor to ensure quality, labour safety, and environmental sanitation at the construction site. — VNS