17 BOT toll booths at wrong location: ministry

The Cai Lay toll booth, one of the 17 booths reportedly built at the wrong location.-VNA/VNS Photo

Among these, only two booths - La Son-Tuy Loan booth and the booth at the south of the Hai Van Tunnel - have been proposed to be merged with another toll booth or be removed.

The ministry has proposed retaining the location of the 15 remaining booths.

The La Son-Tuy Loan booth and the booth at the south of the Hai Van Tunnel collect toll for the Ca Pass tunnel project.

According to the ministry, the La Son-Tuy Loan booth is located on the La Son-Tuy Loan Expressway, which was under a Build-Transfer investment, and does not belong to the Ca Pass tunnel project, which is why its toll collection is inappropriate.

The ministry is working with the investor to weigh in on the investment efficiency and will propose to the Government the removal of this booth.

The BOT booth at the south of the Hai Van Tunnel will be merged with the north of the tunnel for toll collection of the Ca Pass and Phú Gia-Phuoc Tuong tunnel projects as the two toll booths are located close to one another.

The transport ministry also proposed two options for the Cai Lay booth in Tien Giang province.

The first option is to reduce the toll for all vehicles as well as for people living close to the booth. The second option is to build another booth at the alternative route and collect toll from both the stations.

The ministry and the Tien Giang Province’s People’s Committee will work with the relevant sectors to make a decision.

Earlier, the Government had ordered a halt in the operations of the Cai Lay booth due to public reaction to its inappropriate location and fee hike.

Among the 17 violating booths, three are not located within the project areas. They include the Cau Rac booth in central Ha Tinh Province, Tao Xuyen booth in central Thanh Hoa and Bac Thang Long-Noi Bai in Ha Noi.

The ministry has proposed retaining these booths and collecting toll until the project capital is paid back.

The transport ministry currently manages 73 out of 88 BOT booths nationwide. Fifty-six toll booths are built within project areas and ensure standard distance with another booth.