Vinh Long (VNS/VNA) - Vinh Long province has stepped up efforts tospeed up site clearance, compensation and resettlement for households affectedby the My Thuan – Can Tho Expressway project’s first phase.

The provincial People’s Committee on April 3 met with the project’s investor,the Cuu Long Corp for Investment, Development and Project Management ofTransport Infrastructure (Cuu Long CIPM).

Tran Hoang Tuu, vice chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said a siteclearance board had been established to closely work with the Cuu Long CIPM tospeed up progress of the project.

He urged the Cuu Long CIPM to quickly send documents related to the project tolocal authorities for implementing compensation, site clearance, andresettlement assistance for affected households.

The corporation will ask the Ministry of Transport to grant approval to build apath linking National Highway 1 in Vinh Long Province to the My Thuan – Can ThoExpressway, and to upgrade three bridges on provincial Highway No 908, he said.

“That will improve the efficiency of the expressway,” he said.

The path leading to the expressway will address local businesses' need totransport goods faster and will help reduce traffic jams in the area.

Upgrading Kenh Bo Ke, Cai Tau Soc Tro and Kenh tu bridges will help ensuresmooth traffic flow on provincial Highway No 908 which connects NationalHighway 1A and the expressway.

The My Thuan – Can Tho Expressway, part of the Ho Chi Minh City – Can ThoExpressway, is an important route in the north-south expressway system,facilitating transport between HCM City and the Mekong Delta.

Phan Duy Lai, deputy director of Cuu Long CIPM, said the expressway project'sfirst phase will be built under a public-private partnership (PPP) investmentform with a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract.

Project investment has total capital of more than 4.7 trillion VND (201.5million USD), including 932 billion VND (39.5 million USD) for site clearancesourced from the State budget.

It will cover around 153ha of land in Long Ho and Binh Tan districts, Binh Minhtown and Vinh Long city in Vinh Long province, and Dong Thap province’s ChauThanh district.

With a total length of nearly 23 kilometres with six lanes, the expressway willstart at My Thuan 2 Bridge and end at the starting point of Can Tho Bridge onNational Highway 1A.

Localities are asked to hand over land for construction of the expresswayproject before November 10.

The expressway construction is expected to begin this year and to be completedin 2022./.