On February 27, work began on an infrastructure project which will upgrade the existing roadway between Hanoi and Sapa.
The project, a joint effort between the Lao Cai People's Committee and the Ministry of Transport, has a budget of VND2.518 trillion (US$112.83 million), reports Tuoi Tre.
The new expressway will be operated under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) model. Under this system, a contractor is hired to “finance, design, construct and operate a facility for a certain period, during which it has to raise the finances for, and is entitled to retain all revenues generated by, the project,” writes Tuoi Tre.
According to Mien Trung Construction Group chairman Mai Xuan Thong, whose company is one of the four contractors of the project, construction of the new expressway will include two phases: upgrading 29.2 kilometers of the current Highway 4D between Lao Cai and Sapa as well as building the new Provincial Road 155, reports Giao Thong. Once the project is complete, those traveling to Sapa will use Highway 4D, while those leaving town will take Provincial Road 155.
The aim of this project is to help improve traffic on highway 4D and better connect Lao Cai province with other urban regions. Construction is expected to finish in the first quarter of 2019.
[Photo via PHOTO VANOVA]
