$600 million Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh expressway expansion under pressure

The $600 million Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh Expressway expansion is under pressure. Photo: baodautu.vn

The construction of the VND15 trillion ($600 million) expansion project of Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh Expressway is currently nearly 73 per cent complete. However, construction progress is under pressure due to the scarcity of asphalt supply and a shortage of engineers and workers amidst the simultaneous implementation of many large projects in the area.

According to Vietnam Expressway Investment and Development Corporation (VEC) - the project's investor - the remaining work remains large, especially asphalt concrete, while the supply of asphalt materials is facing difficulties due to fluctuations in the international market. Contractors are currently only receiving a small fraction of their actual needs from suppliers, putting pressure on the construction schedule.

To secure material sources, VEC requested contractors to intensify domestic market surveys and shift their supply method from purchasing ready-mix asphalt to directly supplying materials to approved mixing plants. This allows contractors to produce asphalt according to the approved mix design, reducing dependence on ready-mix supplies.

VEC also proposed that authorities study solutions to regulate and stabilise the supply of imported raw materials for asphalt production. The investor stated that it will coordinate with contractors and suppliers to prioritise material supply for the project, contributing to ensuring construction progress during the final stages.

Along with material difficulties, human resources are also creating additional pressure on the project, as many large-scale projects being implemented simultaneously by localities and businesses in the region are causing a dispersion of engineers and technical workers.

The Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh Expressway expansion project has a total length of approximately 22 km. The starting point is at Km4+000, the intersection with Ring Road 2 in Long Truong ward, Ho Chi Minh City; the end point is at Km25+920, the intersection with Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway in Long Thanh ward, Dong Nai city.

Coordinated push keeps Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh expressway expansion on track The expansion to Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh expressway is advancing at pace, driven by the developer's intensive coordination and contractors’ round-the-clock efforts to secure the 18-month deadline.

Vietnam, Laos increase key transport infrastructure connectivity Vietnam and Laos are working to boost key strategic infrastructure projects to increase connectivity between the two countries.

Vietnam approves PPP study for $1 billion expressway for Central Vietnam The Ministry of Construction has approved Khanh Hoa province to study a nearly $1 billion expressway linking Nha Trang and Dalat, a project expected to strengthen connectivity and drive regional economic growth.

Investment plan unveiled for key expressway featuring seven mountain tunnels The Bao Ha-Lai Chau Expressway project, with a preliminary investment of approximately $2.62 billion, is poised to become one of the largest proposed road infrastructure projects in Vietnam's northwestern region.

Infrastructure contractors post strong profit growth amid investment boom Infrastructure contractors are reporting stronger profits as major project wins and rising public investment create new growth opportunities, despite mounting pressures.

Vietnam steps up expressway funding efforts Vietnam is scaling up efforts to mobilise private capital for expressway development, creating new opportunities for businesses, banks and investors while diversifying infrastructure funding sources.