The Hanoi People’s Committee and the World Bank on Mar. 22 hosted a ground-breaking ceremony for belt road 2 linking Nhat Tan bridge and Cau Giay junction. As part of the Hanoi urban transport development project, the work is expected to shorten travel time from the downtown area to western and northwestern areas of the city. Once completed, the belt road will be 58-64 metres wide, including two lanes on each side. With a total investment of 304.7 million USD, the city’s urban transport development project was loaned over 155 million USD by the WB and given 9.8 million USD aid by the Global Environmental Facility. The project will also help build an express bus system and a residential resettlement area. Deputy Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Van Khoi said the work will contribute to improving transport infrastructure for municipal socio-economic development.-VNA