Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc (centre) and officials press buttons to start the work on new Rào Bridge in Hải Phòng City on Tuesday. Photo baochinhphu.vn

HẢI PHÒNG — Work on a new Rào Bridge to replace the old degraded one was started on Tuesday in the northern port city of Hải Phòng.

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, former president Trần Đức Lương and other officials attended the groundbreaking ceremony.

The Rào Bridge crossing Lạch Tray River has been a key bridge in the city since it was opened in 1980. It links the city centre to the Hà Nội-Hải Phòng expressway and is considered an important commercial gateway between Hải Phòng and other localities.

The bridge is now struggling to deal with the increasing number of vehicles that travel on daily, resulting in frequent traffic jams.

A new bridge is expected to solve the traffic problems by being considerably wider.

The new bridge with a total investment of nearly VNĐ 2.3 trillion ($99.2 million) is expected to open in 2022.

The project is one of 10 key projects worth a total in excess of VNĐ20.6 trillion that were planned to start or finish in the city at this time to mark the city’s 16th Party Congress which takes place on Wednesday. — VNS