The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a US$410.2 million loan for the construction of a 51-kilometre four-lane expressway in southern Viet Nam (the money is almost half of the $931 million needed to complete the project).
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a US$410.2 million loan for the construction of a 51-kilometre four-lane expressway in southern Viet Nam (the money is almost half of the $931 million needed to complete the project).
The highway, which will have toll gates, will start from the centre of HCM City (the junction of the Second Ring Road in District 9) and end at the junction with National Highway 1 at Dau Giay in southern Dong Nai Province.
The project includes construction of a 1,700-metre bridge over the Dong Nai River at Long Thanh. Other funding has come from the Japan Bank for International Co-operation and the Viet Nam Expressway Corporation.
The plan aims to ease traffic congestion in HCM City, which is expected to have knock-on effects in surrounding provinces and the Greater Mekong Subregion. "Better roads assist people and businesses by lowering transport costs and transportation time," said Director of the Infrastructure Division of the ADB’s Southeast Asia Department John Cooney. "This will lead to less pollution caused by traffic jams and traffic accidents will be reduced by better roads. This has a very important social and economic impact," he said.
The expressway is scheduled for completion in 2014. Environmental management plans have been prepared for use during the construction and operation of the highway.
(Source: VNS)
