Addressing the ceremony, PM Nguyen Tan Dung stressed the importance of the project for the socio-economic development of Hai Phong city and the northern region. He asked relevant ministries, agencies and contractors to do their upmost to complete the project in the next 36 months.
The PM also took the occasion to thank the Government and people of Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for their funding to the project.
The 15.63 km road comprises of a 5.44 km bridge crossing the sea. Apart from the bridge, the project also includes a 10.2 km road with of 29.5m wide, allowing vehicles to travel at 80 km per hour. Once completed, the bridge will be the longest in Vietnam and one of the longest of its kind in Southeast Asia.
The expressway will shorten the travelling distance between the international gateway port of Hai Phong and the Hanoi-Hai Phong Highway when it opens in early 2017.
The project has a total investment of over VND11.8 trillion (roughly US$554.6 million), mostly from Japanese Official Development Assistance.
