Phu Tho (VNA) - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 9 inspected the construction site of the new Phong Chau bridge, and surveyed a planned route for the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway section running through the northern province of Phu Tho.

The new bridge is being built across the Red River, and located on National Highway 32C. The 383m-long bridge, which connects Phung Nguyen and Van Xuan communes, has a total investment of over 635 billion VND (24.2 million USD) sourced from the central budget contingency fund.

Work started on the project in late 2024 under an emergency construction order, following the collapse of the old one due to Typhoon Yagi in September.

Hailing the units’ efforts that help save three months of construction time and significantly reduce costs compared to the initial estimate, PM Chinh expressed his hope that they will strive to soon make the bridge’s parts joined and open it to traffic on schedule, thereby better facilitating local people’s travel.

Visiting and presenting gifts to encourage officers and soldiers of Brigade 249 of Engineering Corps under the Ministry of National Defence which is currently operating the Phong Chau pontoon bridge, the PM praised the unit’s tireless efforts to ensure traffic flow for the people since the collapse of the old bridge. He encouraged its officers and soldiers to make even greater efforts to serve locals and successfully fulfill their duties.

Surveying the planned route for the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway, the Government leader stated that this is a strategic railway within the Kunming – Hanoi – Hai Phong economic corridor, as it is connected to China, Central Asia, and Europe.

Therefore, the sooner the project is implemented and completed, the sooner it will bring about benefits, he affirmed.

Emphasising the importance of site clearance, PM Chinh requested Phu Tho to prepare a site clearance plan separate from the overall project and to commence this work on August 19.

In addition, he urged coordination with relevant ministries, sectors, and units to review and develop plans for stations, logistics centres, inland ports, and urban areas along the railway route, while also implementing connecting transport routes to maximise the project’s efficiency.

The 419km-long project has a total investment of over 203 trillion VND. According to the National Assembly’s resolution, it is scheduled to commence in December 2025 and is expected to be completed no later than 2030.

The section through Phu Tho province is more than 99 km long, running through 20 communes and wards. It will require the recovery of 621 hectares of land and the relocation and resettlement of over 1,800 households.

On the same day, the Prime Minister also inspected and listened to the province’s proposal to build a 54km road connecting Hoa Binh ward (former Hoa Binh province) with Viet Tri ward (former Phu Tho province).

Appreciating the proposal, he stated that the road will open up new development space and create a growth corridor along the Da River, especially as the three former provinces of Hoa Binh, Phu Tho, and Vinh Phuc were merged into the new Phu Tho province, requiring enhanced transportation connectivity.

The leader agreed in principle and assigned the Ministry of Construction to develop a plan for the road as an expr🅘essway which will connect with the Hoa Binh – Moc Chau Expressway; coordinate 🍬with Phu Tho to prepare the project, and complete all procedures within one year./.