A section of the North-South Expressway being completed (Photo: VNA)

The three projects of Mai Son-National Highway No. 45, Vinh Hao-Phan Thiet and Phan Thiet-Dau Giay have a total length of 260km and are part of the North-South Expressway Project.

According to the transport ministry, the project contractors have been urgently finishing up items such as levelling asphalt pavement, installing medians, corrugated iron, anti-glare nets and signposts, and marking roads in order to complete the projects on schedule.

In addition, the ministry regularly inspects the construction sites and urges the units to speed up progress and promptly handle construction delays with the determination to complete this year the other six component projects of National Highway 45 - Nghi Son, Nghi Son-Dien Chau, Dien Chau-Bai Vot, Nha Trang-Cam Lam, Cam Lam-Vinh Hao, My Thuan Bridge 2.

According to the ministry, 12 localities through which the North-South Expressway passes through in the period of 2021-2025 have handed over 579 out of 721,2 km of land, reaching 80.2% of the plan.

Fourteen localities of Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and the provinces of Can Tho, Hung Yen, Bac Ninh, Khanh Hoa, Dak Lak, An Giang, Hau Giang, Soc Trang, Long An, Dong Nai, Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau have completed the works of measurement, calculation and compensation plans for the three highways of Khanh Hoa-Buon Ma Thuot, Bien Hoa-Vung Tau and Chau Doc-Can Tho-Soc Trang, and two ring roads in HCM City and Hanoi.

Hanoi and the provinces of Hung Yen, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Hau Giang have implemented land hand-overs and compensation.

The ministry said that although the localities had made strong efforts, ground clearance is still a bottleneck of the projects.

For projects starting construction before June 30, site clearance has been urgently carried out. However, if the approval of plans of compensation is not sped up, the construction of resettlement areas and technical infrastructure will not meet the schedule, the ministry said

To accelerate the construction of 25 bidding packages for the North-South Expressway in the period of 2021-2025, the ministry requested contractors complete personnel and machinery mobilisation, construction designs, co-ordinate with local authorities to handle procedures for mining construction materials and dumping sites, and list demands for construction materials as per the project implementation schedule to send to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for allocation.

The transport ministry also recommended that the Government should allow the 12 localities that the expressway runs through to implement the conversion of forests, forest land and wet rice land for the expressway so as to complete all site clearance work in the second quarter of this year.

Relevant authorities must report to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment who will submit their findings to the National Assembly’s 6th session at the end of this year./.