The key economic zone, comprising Can Tho City and An Giang, Kien Giang,and Ca Mau provinces, is expected to transport 450-500 millionpassengers a year and 100-110 million tonnes of goods by 2020.
The plan, drafted by the Ministry of Transport, was recently approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
Italso targets linking every commune with roads that good enough forautomobiles, and island communes with bridges or ferries by 2015.
By then, all district-level and 70 percent of commune-level roads will be paved, and all foot-bridges will be eliminated.
Several expressways and new provincial roads will be built, and existing national highways will be upgraded by 2020.
Thoseto be built include the 32.3km My Thuan – Can Tho expressway, 150km CanTho – Ca Mau expressway, 200km Chau Doc – Can Tho – Soc Trang Provinceexpressway, and 225km Ha Tien – Rach Gia – Bac Lieu Province expressway.
The plan will explore the feasibility of building the HCM City – My Tho – Can Tho rail link.
Italso seeks to develop ports and river routes leading up to them, withpriority to be given to major ports in Can Tho and Phu Quoc to meet theregion's transport needs.
The ports will handle around 58.5 million tonnes of goods a year by 2020.
TheCan Tho International airport, Ca Mau airport, and Rach Gia airportwill be upgraded, and construction of the Phu Quoc International airportwill be completed.
By 2020 the region's airports will handle around 11.8 million passengers a year.
Theplan seeks to develop five major transport corridors: HCM City – CanTho – Ca Mau; HCM City – Long Xuyen city in An Giang – Rach Gia city inKien Giang; HCM City – Ha Tien city also in Kien Giang; Can Tho – LongXuyen – Chau Doc town in An Giang; and Ha Tien – Rach Gia – Ca Mau.
Thetotal area required for transport infrastructure in the zone by 2020 isestimated at 696.64sq.km, or slightly more than now./.