Hanoi will earmark more than 592 billion VND (28.4 million USD) for a number of important projects in 2011, said Chairman of the city’s People’s Committee Nguyen The Thao.

At a meeting with the city’s branch and departments in Hanoi on Feb. 14, Thao said the beneficiary projects include housing for workers and students, the upgrading of old apartment buildings and more than 150 new urban projects that can accommodate more than 2 million people.

A substantial amount will go to key transport projects, including the Nhat Tan bridge across the Red (Hong) river, Highway 3 from Hanoi to the northern province of Thai Nguyen, the Hanoi-Hai Phong expressway, a number of roads and two railway routes, he added.

He went on to say that the city will accelerate the construction of social technical infrastructure to cope with traffic congestions and reduce environmental protection. Management boards will be set up to speed up the construction of the urban railway routes connecting the Nam Thang Long (southern Thang Long bridge) area and Nhon on the city’s outskirts to Hanoi’s downtown, he added./.