PM Pham Minh Chinh addresses the expressway inauguration ceremony in Quang Ninh province on September 1. (Photo: VNA)The expressway, which is 80.23km long and25.25m wide, connects Van Don International Airport and the access road to Bac Luan2 Bridge on the Vietnam - China border in Mong Cai city. Built in just over twoyears since the completion of site clearance, it has four lanes for vehicles, twoemergency lanes, and a design speed of 120km per hour, which is also themaximum design speed for expressways in Vietnam.
The road is equipped with anintelligent transport system working around the clock and in all weatherconditions.
Besides, it is one of the roadsfeaturing the most sea and river bridges in the country, with 35bridges totalling more than 7.9km on the main route – equivalent to 10% of its length.
Officials cut the ribbon to inaugurate Van Don - Mong Cai Expressway on September 1. (Photo: VNA)It is also connected with theexpressway traversing Van Don, Ha Long, Hai Phong, Hanoi, and Lao Cai, forming thecountry’s longest expressway – nearly 600km. This has turn Quang Ninh into thelocality boasting the greatest expressway length – 176km.
In addition, Van Don - Mong Cai is thefirst of its kind to link three airports (Noi Bai in Hanoi, Cat Bi in Hai Phong,and Van Don), and three economic zones with one international border gate. It alsohelps link other ASEAN countries and Vietnamese localities with China via theMong Cai International Border Gate, thereby facilitating investment attraction,border economic activities, as well as social and tourism development in theprovince, Van noted.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony heldin coordination with Sun Group, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said Van Don -Mong Cai Expressway is the last part of the road axis running through Quang Ninh withtotal length of 176km, accounting for 16.8% of the combined expressway lengthin Vietnam.
He held that Van Don - Mong CaiExpressway will help Quang Ninh establish itself as a strategic transitpoint in the East Asia - Southeast Asia - ASEAN - China region, the “TwoCorridors, One Belt” cooperation zone between Vietnam and China, and theexpanded Gulf of Tonkin inter-regional cooperation area under the ASEAN - ChinaFree Trade Area, thus creating a strong impulse for connectivity in thenorthern key economic region and the Red River Delta of Vietnam.
Van Don - Mong Cai Expressway is 80.23km long and 25.25m wide and has and a design speed of 120km per hour. (Photo: VNA)Noting that it was invested with 44 trillion VND (1.87 billion USD), 15.6 trillion VND of which (35.5%) was funded by the local budget and the remaining 28.2 trillion VND (64.5%) by private businesses, the PM described the road as asuccessful example of the public - private partnership in infrastructuredevelopment.
The Government leader said it will not only create a new development space forthe northern midland and mountainous region and the Red River Delta, includingQuang Ninh, but also promote production, business, trading, service, tourism,industrial, and urban development in the places it traverses.
He urged Quang Ninh to quickly complete procedures for the expressway managementwhile localities should coordinate with one another to make the best use of the roadto serve socio-economic development and achieve green, fast, and sustainabledevelopment./.
VNA
