One of Japanese contractors, the TNK company, confirmed that the Can Tho bridge, the largest cable-stayed bridge in Vietnam , is to be open to traffic in late March on schedule.

Ariyoshi Makimoto from the Japanese TNK company said so far 99 percent of the main part has been completed.

Construction of the 2.75 km-four lane bridge was suspended for 10 months, following a 90 metre-long section of an approach ramp collapsed in September, 2007, and was only resumed in July,2008.

Can Tho Bridge is under construction over the Hau ( Bassac ) River, the largest distributary of the Mekong River , connecting Binh Minh District, Vinh Long province and Can Tho, approximately 170 km south of Ho Chi Minh City.

The bridge is to replace the ferry system that currently runs along National Road 1A , cutting traveling time by 32 minutes.

It is estimated that some 20,000 vehicles and tens of thousands of passengers use the ferry system every day.

The construction cost was estimated at 4.8 trillion VND (roughly 342.6 million USD). The construction was under the supervision of consultant Nippon Koei-Chodai, which is working with Japanese contractors, including the Taisei Corporation, Kajima Construction and Nippon Steel.

Capital for the project is funded in ODA by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and contribution by the Vietnamese government./.