Hundreds of people in a mountainous area of northern Ha Nam province have expressed their joy over the construction of a suspension bridge which commenced on July 12.

The Nam Cong bridge, which is 110m long and 2m wide, is being built in Thanh Liem district at a total cost of 9.1 billion VND (over 433 USD).

It is expected to have a 25-year lifetime.

Once operational, the bridge will benefit as many as 1,500 inhabitants, including 200 students.

The work is part of a 931 billion VND (44 million USD) project to build 186 suspension bridges in 28 cities and provinces in the northern, central and Central Highlands regions.

Outlined by the Ministry of Transport, the scheme aims to help inhabitants in mountainous and far-flung areas of the country improve their living standards and mitigate the risks of traffic accidents, especially during the flood season, said Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Hong Truong.

The plan is also to deal with the fact that 40 percent of over 1,940 suspension bridges across the country are in need of urgent repairs or reconstruction, according to the ministry.-VNA