The Transport Ministry's Directorate for Roads in Viet Nam has submitted a plan to the Government that would upgrade the bauxite transport route at an estimated cost of about VND1.6 trillion (US$76.9 million).
The Transport Ministry's Directorate for Roads in Viet Nam has submitted a plan to the Government that would upgrade the bauxite transport route at an estimated cost of about VND1.6 trillion (US$76.9 million).
"However, the project has been stuck due to a shortage of capital, preventing the Nhan Co Bauxite factory from opening next month as planned," said Nguyen Van Cong, head of the ministry's administrative office.
The bauxite route comprises Road 725, National Highway 20 and Road 769, linking the Tan Rai factory in Central Highlands Lam Dong Province and Go Dau Port in southern Dong Nai Province.
After inspection, the ministry concluded that the current condition of these roads was unsuitable for heavy bauxite transport.
The bauxite route currently accommodates 30-tonne trucks, while the Viet Nam Coal and Minerals Industries Group (Vinacomin) planned to use heavier 40-tonne vehicles.
Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai approved the Build-Transfer project to establish a corridor for transporting alumina, as the road has seriously deteriorated under the burden of trucks transporting materials and machinery for the bauxite project in Tan Rai over the past few years.
"Upgrading the proposed bauxite route is just a temporary solution, as Vinacomin would also develop a seaport at Khe Ga in central Binh Thuan Province for exporting alumina," Cong said, adding that relevant parties would upgrade seven roads from bauxite mines to the port as the construction progressed.
Duong Danh Quy, head of the Dong Nai Traffic Safety Department said Vinacomin neither discussed nor consulted with the local authorities about having their trucks pass through the province.
Quy said every ten minutes, a 40-tonne truck left the aluminium plant in Lam Dong, heading for Bao Loc Town and then for Go Dau Port.
"The trucks have created serious traffic and safety problems for the province, as many bridges on the trucks' path have a lower capacity than 40 tonnes and most of the roads are in poor condition," he added.
La Nga Bridge, for instance, has the capacity of only 25 tonnes and would certainly collapse if a 40-tonne truck crossed it every 10 minutes.
Duong Van Hoa, Vinacomin's deputy general director said that the group could not spend the capital on the project because its transport trucks would account for only 2 per cent of all the vehicles circulating on such roads.
Hoa said it was unreasonable to impose the burden on a single company, arguing that the roads had already been deteriorating and that the upgrade would benefit the whole community, as well as boosting economic development in the region.
Head of Vinacomin's Aluminium and Titan Department Nguyen Thanh Liem said the group would use 25-tonne trucks to transport the bauxite as required by the ministry.
"We will contribute to the upgrade but only in part, because we cannot afford to incorporate transport fees into the price of aluminium, since it is fixed by the market," Liem said.
He added that the amount of transported bauxite would not be high. If they had to upgrade the roads for transport bauxite, they should be allowed to collect fees or be granted a tax exemption.
"The Government stipulated that units which used overloaded vehicles regularly would have to pay for repairing and upgrading the roads to ensure technical standards and avoid damage," said chairman of the Viet Nam Association of Automobile Transport Nguyen Manh Hung.
(Source: VNS)