Steps towards the creation of the My Thuan 2 Bridge, connecting theTrung Luong My Thuan Can Tho expressway over the Mekong Delta TienRiver, are underway.

Project Management Unit 7 (PMU 7) recentlysubmitted a BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) proposal to the Ministry ofTransport, in hopes of moving forward the timely project.

Constructionof the bridge will have to begin soon as the My Thuan Can Tho part ofthe expressway project was scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of2016.

It will take 6.4km and six-lanes to connect the two Mekongprovinces of Vinh Long and Tien Giang and the new bridge will sit just1.2km upstream from its predecessor, My Thuan Bridge.

In order tofacilitate waterway traffic under the bridge, PMU 7's proposalrecommended four different options with costs ranging from 7.1 trillionVND (334 million USD) to 9.76 trillion VND (458 million USD), and areturn of investment time from around 25 to 29 years.

DirectorGeneral of PMU 7, Nguyen Chung Khanh, said the waterway traffic planswere carefully designed to minimise collisions, but that "furtherstudies are required before we can come up with truly permanentsolutions for waterway traffic."

As for bridge tolls, Khanh saidvehicles might only have to pay one inclusive fee, which will cover theTrung Luong-My Thuan-Can Tho expressway and the two My Thuan Bridges.-VNA