The information was announced by the Ministry of Transport at a conference held in Khanh Hoa province on February 21, to begin the land clearance work for the trans-Vietnam project in the East during 2017-2020. The event was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung.
At the conference, the Government, relevant ministries and central agencies will discuss initially resolving difficulties and obstacles in the first stage of implementing compensation and land clearance for the project, as well as preparing the necessary conditions to ensure the supply of materials for construction work and handling problems arising in the investment preparations for the North-South expressway.
The North-South expressway is a key national project carried out in accordance with the Resolution No. 52/2017/QH14 dated November 22, 2017 of the National Assembly on the investment policy for the construction of a number of expressway sections under the North-South expressway’s east route during 2017-2020.
In the first phase, a total investment of over VND118.7 trillion (US$5.1 billion) will be poured into 11 expressway projects with a total length of 654 km, running through 13 provinces, including Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien - Hue, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Dong Nai, Tien Giang and Vinh Long.
So far, the ministry has completed approving 11/11 investment projects for construction of the North-South expressway in the east, creating an important premise to implement a series of subsequent investment preparation works.
For the survey design, zoning and handing over ground clearance zone map and road markings, the ministry is expected to finish all of the above work at the end of the first quarter and early in the second quarter. Up to now, 10/11 projects have established clearance committees. The Cao Bo - Mai Son project has approved the design for ground clearance and deployed ground clearance zoning, while the Cam Lo - La Son project is implementing the design of site clearance and positioning of field piles. The remaining projects are in the bidding step to select consultants.
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Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung calls for boosting the preparation for the first stage of the North-South Expressway construction, with the first task to finalise land clearance. (Photo: Zing)
Speaking at the event, the deputy PM praised the local leaders for being active in coordinating to implement the land clearance work and that they have established local land clearance councils led by the Chairpersons of the provincial People's Committees.
However, according to the deputy PM, such results are very important but only in the preparation stage, creating the basis for implementing the investment process of the whole project. "There is still a lot of work to do", Deputy PM Dung affirmed, emphasising the goal to basically complete the first stage in 2020-2021. To do so, several sections and routes must be kick-started in 2019, he added.
During the period, it is necessary to concentrate on effectively implementing three key tasks, including completing technical designs, accelerating land clearance and conducting contractor selection for construction.
Deputy PM Dung set key tasks for the Ministry of Transport and local authorities, emphasising the need to closely coordinate and take drastic actions to ensure the progress of the project. The ministries and central agencies should urgently finish the plan to allocate capital to localities to carry out the compensation and land clearance work and report it to the PM for approval.
Local authorities in provinces where the projects go through must mobilise the entire political system to carry out the main tasks on land clearance and ground allocation to construction contractors, while supporting and supplying materials for the projects and ensuring safety and security during the investment and construction.
"Apart from the economic development benefits of the state and businesses, it must pay special attention to the interests of the local people, which is the highest goal when deploying this project," Deputy PM Dung affirmed.
The 2,100 km North - South expressway runs through 32 provinces and cities and is invested in three phases: Phase 1 (2017-2020), Phase 2 (2021-2025) and Phase 3 after 2025. In the first phase, land clearance will affect over 10,200 households, with the projected total compensation for site clearance up to VND14 trillion (US$603.6 million).
