Hanoi (VNA) – The competitive bidding of the North-South Expressway project aims to select the investor transparently, while closely managing the quality, construction cost and progress of the project.

Efforts made to ensure quality, progress of North-South Expressway hinh anh 1North-South Expressway is scheduled to be completed in 2021 (Photo: VietnamPlus)
 

According to Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The, the transport ministry has coordinated with relevant ministries and agencies to propose the Government issue Decision No. 20/NQ-CP in order to implement the project in the principles of publicity and transparency, with mechanisms supervising the quality, progress and efficiency of capital use.

In a document responding to proposals of voters in the south-central province of Binh Thuan, The said the Eastern North-South Expressway is a national important project whose investment plan was ratified by the National Assembly at Resolution No. 52/2017/QH14 dated November 22, 2017. It comprises 11 component projects, including three public investment ones using State budget and eight under the form of public-private partnership (PPP).

To implement the national key project, a competitive bidding will be conducted to select the investor whose equity accounts for 20 percent of the total investment, and closely manage the quality and construction cost of the project, the minister said.  

[North-South Expressway project to select investors]

Besides, State agencies have assessed and approved the technical design and estimate, creating a foundation for the building of financial plans and tender dossiers. The Ministry of Transport takes charge of compiling these tender dossiers and draft contracts which set standards and sanctions against the investor violating regulations on quality and progress.

The closed toll collection that is based on the length of sections used will ensure equality for the users, and deal with bottlenecks in road toll collection, The said, adding that the non-stop automatic toll collection technology and an online supervision system will be applied to prevent losses.

It is noteworthy that data regarding fee level and time, and total investment capital will be publicised to ensure transparency, he said.

The ministry has approved the feasibility study report of the project and completed land hand-over and the transfer of capital to the State Treasury to help localities implement land clearance and resettlement work.

It is also pushing ahead with the technical design and estimate, and promptly making a short-list of investors, The said.

During the implementation of the project, the ministry will instruct competent agencies to closely supervise its quality and progress, he said, calling for the support of agencies and localities in this regard, especially in land clearance.

The ministry on August 31 asked for the Prime Minister’s permission to start the construction of the Cam Lo-La Son section in Tan Truc village, Cam Tuyen commune, Cam Lo district, the central province of Quang Tri.

The 98.35km section crosses Cam Lo, Trieu Phong, Lai Lang districts, Quang Tri town, and Dong Ha city of Quang Tri province, and Thua Thien-Hue province’s Phong Dien, Huong Tra, Huong Thuy and Phu Loc districts. 

The Cam Lo-La Son section will help develop transport infrastructure in the region and the country, while promoting the potential of the region, making it more convenient for goods transport among Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue and Da Nang city.

The North-South Expressway stretches 2,109km, running from the northern mountainous province of Lang Son to the southernmost province of Ca Mau.

Once completed, it is expected to become the key route for traffic in the entire country.

Eleven more sections in the 2017-2021 period received investment of about 118.7 trillion VND, including 55 trillion VND from the State budget.

The three sections fully funded by the State budget are Cao Bo-Mai Son (15km), Cam Lo-La Son (98km), and My Thuan Bridge (7km).

Investors of Build-Operate-Transfer projects are allowed to collect tolls, starting at 1,500 VND per km per car under 12 seats. The toll can be increased once every three years until it reaches 3,400 VND per km per car./.

VNA