Can Tho-Ca Mau Expressway proposed to start construction in 2022

The section passing Bac Lieu province of National Highway 1

The My Thuan Project Management Unit has just proposed the Ministry of Transport to appraise the pre-feasibility study of the Can Tho-Ca Mau Expressway project.

Accordingly, the 156km expressway will begin at the Cha Va intersection in Binh Minh town, Vinh Long province, about 4.5km downstream from Can Tho Bridge, and will end at the intersection of Tac Van route, bypassing National Highway 1 through Ca Mau city. The route will travel through six localities in the Mekong Delta including Vinh Long, Can Tho, Hau Giang, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, and Ca Mau, with Soc Trang and Bac Lieu accommodating the longest road stretches of 64.56km and 51.89km.

The construction will be implemented in two phases. The first phase will include a two-lane road surface of 13.75m in width, accommodating travelling speeds of up to 80kmh, as well as a 5m-wide local road.

Once reaching completion, the route will be upgraded to four lanes with 24.75m in total width. Particularly, the 30.9km section crossing with the Chau Doc-Can Tho-Soc Trang Expressway will be built with a scale of six lanes, 32.25m wide with a designed speed of 100kmh.

According to the My Thuan Project Management Unit, the Can Tho-Ca Mau Expressway project is divided into two component projects. The first one from Can Tho to Bac Lieu will use approximately VND37.611 trillion ($1,629 billion) of public capital from the medium-term public investment plan for 2021-2025.

The second one will go from Bac Lieu to Ca Mau under the management of Ca Mau People's Committee. It will have an investment capital of around VND64 trillion ($2,774 billion) and will be implemented under the public-private partnership (PPP) format as directed by the prime minister in August 2020.

The Can Tho-Ca Mau Expressway will provide an axis for the Mekong Delta, connecting the region's economic centre with the southernmost tip of the country and completing the regional road network and reducing the load on National Highway 1, serving as a gateway to major urban centres.