Quang Ninh to start construction on new highway in December

A bird view of Ha Long-Hai Phong Expressway. Illustrative image (Source: news.zing.vn)

The Van Don-Mong Cai highway will be constructed under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) and public-private partnership (PPP) contract at the total cost of more than 11 trillion VND (474.4 million USD).

Quang Ninh People’s Committee has signed the contract with the joint venture of Long Van Infrastructure Investment and Development Co.,Ltd, Van Don Sun JSC and Cong Thanh Transportation and Construction Corporation.

The 80.2km-long highway will have four lanes and is designed for average speed of 100 km per hour. It will run through the districts of Van Don, Tien Yen, Dam Ha and Hai Ha and Mong Cai city.

Construction is expected to be completed within 22 months. Fees will be collected for 20 years on the way.

Once the road is completed, it will connect with the Hanoi-Hai Phong and Hanoi-Lao Cai highways, creating the longest highway in Vietnam that runs from Lao Cai in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai to Mong Cai via Hanoi and Hai Phong. The highway will serve as an important transport gateway linking Vietnam and China and countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), helping boost cross-border trade and turn Quang Ninh into a trade and service hub in the region.

The Van Don-Mong Cai highway is also expected to facilitate access to the Van Don international airport, which is slated to open in late December.

When operating, the Van Don international airport will serve such big jets as A350 and B777 and is capable of catering for 2.5 million passengers a year by 2020 and 5 million passengers by 2030.

The airport authority has been working with the provincial authorities and other sectors concerned to seek markets, focusing on Southeast and Northeast Asia and domestic routes to destinations in the central and southern regions, like Hue, Da Nang, Cam Ranh, Da Lat and Phu Quoc.