Gov’t okays plan to build expressway link to resort city

The Government has allowed a local realty developer to draw up a huge project building an expressway connecting Dau Giay T-Junction in Dong Nai Province with the resort city of Phan Thiet in Binh Thuan Province.

The Government has allowed a local realty developer to draw up a huge project building an expressway connecting Dau Giay T-Junction in Dong Nai Province with the resort city of Phan Thiet in Binh Thuan Province.

In a statement issued by the Government Office last week. Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai agreed in principle to a proposal by the transport ministry recommending Binh Minh Import Export Production and Trading Co. (Bitexco) as the developer of the expressway.

Bitexco will map out an investment plan for the Dau Giay-Phan Thiet expressway project under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) form, said an official of the transport ministry.

The source told the Daily on Wednesday that the decision was aimed to help to reduce the ministrys financial burden in mobilizing funds for expressway projects.

The decision also paved the way for Bitexco, which specializes in garment, hydro-power development and real estate, to expand into the infrastructure sector.

The Dau Giay-Phan Thiet expressway will have a total length of 128 kilometers, according to the countrys expressway development master plan until 2020 prepared by the transport ministry.

The road will connect the planned HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay expressway to Phan Thiet City, thus creating a strong communication route between the southern focal economic zone and Binh Thuan, and facilitating the development of new urban townships, economic zones and tourism facilities along the expressway.

Bitexco is the developer of large-scale property projects in Hanoi and HCMC such as The Manor, the Financial Tower, Ma Lang complex and Ben Thanh Twin Towers.

Besides Bitexco, other local groups such as PetroVietnam, Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group, Vinashin Group, Vinashin Group, VNPT, the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) and Vietnam Development Bank, are showing special interest in expressway projects.

* HCMC authorities have rejected a plan to build a golf driving range and a greenery park above the Thu Thiem Tunnel, which is under progress now.

Le Toan, deputy director of the citys Department of Communications and Public Works, said the city government had asked the department to inform the expectant developer T&S Investment, Technology and Service Company of the decision.

Earlier, the company had submitted a plan to build a golf driving range above the underground access to Thu Thiem Tunnel crossing the Saigon River.

Toan said the proposal by T&S was not suitable to the zoning master plan of Thu Thiem New Urban Area, nor was it compliant with the citys transportation development plan until 2020.

(Source: SGT)