CC1-BVEC consortium proposes BOT project to renovate and upgrade National Highway 51

On October 11, the consortium of Construction Corporation No. 1 – JSC and Bien Hoa – Vung Tau Expressway Development Joint Stock Company (CC1-BVEC consortium) proposed implementing the project to renovate and upgrade National Highway 51 under the public-private partnership model in the form of a BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) contract.

The CC1-BVEC consortium proposes a BOT project to renovate and upgrade National Highway 51. Photo: Pham Tung

According to the CC1-BVEC consortium, National Highway 51 (from Km0+900 to Km73+600) is a vital transportation artery connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai province. The route is currently in serious disrepair, with uneven pavement, widespread potholes and ruts, damaged medians and manhole covers, and faded road markings, posing significant risks and potential accidents for road users. As such, the highway urgently requires a feasibility study for investment, renovation, and upgrading to enhance traffic capacity, reduce congestion and accidents, and foster socio-economic development in the localities along the route.

In its proposal, the CC1-BVEC consortium stated that through the investment in Phase 2 of the National Highway 51 Renovation and Upgrading Project, the investor consortium aims not only to recover its investment capital but also to integrate solutions to address existing issues related to two BOT projects: Phase 1 of the National Highway 51 BOT project, invested by BVEC, and the Dong Nai Bridge BOT project, invested by CC1.

The consortium noted that more than five years after toll collection was suspended for the Dong Nai Bridge BOT project, and three years after the suspension for the National Highway 51 Phase 1 BOT project, the investors and the state management agency, the Vietnam Road Administration under the Ministry of Construction, have yet to reach agreement on a definitive solution to resolve existing problems with the two projects.

Previously, the Dong Nai Provincial People’s Committee was assigned responsibility by the Ministry of Construction for managing the road infrastructure assets of National Highways 1, 20, 51, and 56 within the province. At the time of the handover, these highways were already in a state of significant disrepair, particularly National Highway 51, which had suffered from surface subsidence, asphalt peeling, wheel track rutting, potholes, and faded road markings that had lost their visibility and effectiveness. As such, repairs to these national highways, especially National Highway 51, are urgently needed to ensure traffic safety.

Recently, the provincial People’s Committee proposed that the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Construction allocate funding for the province to carry out repairs on the national highways running through its territory. According to the calculation by the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee, the total cost of repairing these national highways is estimated at nearly VND 1.4 trillion, with approximately VND 842 billion specifically required for National Highway 51.

By Pham Tung – Translated by Dang Huyen, Minho