Dong Thap (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on July 21 inspected the construction progress of two major expressway projects in the Mekong Delta, namely Chau Doc – Can Tho – Soc Trang and Cao Lanh – An Huu, and removed obstacles facing them.
The Chau Doc – Can Tho – Soc Trang expressway, spanning 188.2 km, runs through four provinces and is being developed in phases as a four-lane route. Groundbreaking took place on June 17, 2023, with substantial completion targeted for 2026 and full operation expected by 2027. The expressway consists of four independent sub-projects, each managed by the respective provincial authority.
During his field visit, PM Chinh examined Package No. 42 of Sub-project 1 under Phase 1, which runs through An Giang province. Contractors reported that the over 16.92km package is scheduled for completion by June 30, 2026.
The leader praised An Giang for its determination in site clearance and noted that construction materials are now available. He urged the acceleration of progress, targeting the technical opening of the section by December 19, 2025, stressing that doing so would help reduce the Incremental Capital-Output Ratio (ICOR), open up new development space, and enhance land value.
Meanwhile, the first phase of the Cao Lanh – An Huu expressway spans 27.43km and consists of two sub-projects with a total investment of more than 7.49 trillion VND (286.37 million USD) sourced from the state budget. Sub-project 1, 16km long, is managed by the People’s Committee of Dong Thap province and began construction in June 2023, with completion targeted for 2026. Sub-project 2, over 11km long, under the management of the former Tien Giang provincial authority, started on August 12, 2024, and set to be completed in 2027.
At the site, PM Chinh instructed authorities to shorten the construction schedule, aiming to open Sub-project 1 by December 19 this year, and Sub-project 2 by April 30, 2026. He also directed that the full four-lane expressway be completed immediately, rather than a limited-width version as initially planned.
To ensure funding for the ahead-of-schedule workload, the Government leader tasked the Ministry of Finance with expediting procedures to submit for approval to allocate resources for the project. He also requested that provinces with stone quarries (such as An Giang) adjust extraction volumes to prioritise supply for the project, while urging contractors to mobilise more labour and equipment./.
