Hanoi’s mayor urges acceleration of major transport projects

The Le Van Luong underpass, with an investment capital of VND700 billion (US$30 million), should be completed on October 10, and the Vinh Tuy Bridge 2 (VND2.5 trillion or $106 million) on September 2, 2023.

The Chairman at the construction site of the Vinh Tuy Bridge 2.

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Tran Sy Thanh made the request during a visit to the two construction sites on September 7.

At the Vinh Tuy Bridge 2 project, which spans the Hong (Red) River, Director of the Hanoi Transport Construction Investment Project Management Board Nguyen Chi Cuong said the work so far has been 70% completed with VND2.05 trillion ($87 million) disbursed, or 91.23%, since the start of the construction on January 9, 2021.

Cuong suggested the construction of the bridge segments would be completed in 2022, so that all major work items could be done before July 2023.

Referring to the Le Van Luong underpass, Cuong said that the work has been  85% completed nearly two years since the construction started.

The Vinh Tuy Bridge 2 should be completed in September 2023.

During the visit, Hanoi Chairman Tran Sy Thanh highlighted the efforts of the Hanoi Transport Construction Investment Project Management Board and contractors at the two projects for keeping progress on schedule.

Thanh, however, called for all parties to stay focused and ensure project completion with the highest quality.

Addressing bottlenecks in the construction process

The construction site of the Le Van Luong underpass.

At the meeting with Hanoi’s chairman on the same day on the progress of significant transportation projects in the city, Cuong from the Hanoi Transport Construction Investment Project Management Board noted the agency is executing 60 public works and nine under the public-private partnership (PPP) mechanism.

These include Ring road No.4; Vinh Tuy bridge Phase 2; National road No.6, section Ba La – Xuan Mai; the connection of the Phap Van – Cau Gie with Ring road No.3; Le Van Luong underpass; and Ring road No. 2.5.According to Cuong, the combined investment capital allocated for 2022 is estimated at VND1.9 trillion ($80.7 million), including VND1.72 trillion ($73 million) sourced from State budget and VND163 billion ($7 million) in ODA funds.

As of August, the Project Management Board has disbursed VND883.2 billion ($37.5 million), or 46.5% of the year’s plan.

Cuong said the agency is committed to disbursing up to 95% of the capital assigned for this year, but noted this would require greater cooperation with related agencies in addressing bottlenecks in each project, ranging from complicated planning adjustment, site clearance, or disputes between project owners and contractors.

In this regard, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Duong Duc Tuan said different issues in each project would cause major delays to the overall construction progress.

“The Project Management Board should be able to identify these problems and come up with solutions to enhance efficiency in transport infrastructure development in Hanoi,” Tuan said.

Sharing Tuan’s view, Hanoi’s Chairman Tran Sy Thanh called for greater responsibilities from all parties involved in the construction process.

“Adequate transport infrastructure system is the key to promoting economic growth,” Thanh said.

Thanh also requested local agencies to soon draft the list of investment projects for the next development phase, saying a thorough project preparation, especially in the site clearance, would create a favorable environment for project implementation.