Proposal to expand Yen Bai-Lao Cai section as an emergency project

(Chinhphu.vn) - Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) has just sent a document to the competent authority requesting approval in principle to implement the project to expand the Yen Bai - Lao Cai section of the Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway in the form of an emergency construction project.

530m long mountain tunnel on Noi Bai- Lao Cai expressway, at the border between Yen Bai and Lao Cai - Photo: Investment Newspaper

According to the proposal, VEC recommends allowing the application of a shortened bidding process as prescribed in Decree No. 24/2024/ND-CP, detailing a number of articles and measures to implement the Law on Bidding on contractor selection.

Apply the shortened bidding process

To speed up the progress, VEC proposes to carry out many tasks at the same time, including: Survey, design, investment project establishment; survey, design construction drawings, estimate establishment; contractor selection, construction and other necessary tasks to serve project implementation.

The Ministry of Construction will conduct project appraisal in parallel with the appraisal process of environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports and items and tasks in the construction drawing design step.

In case of force majeure factors such as lack of construction materials, difficulties in site clearance, natural disasters, epidemics, etc., VEC requests to adjust the implementation time for affected parts and items.

The People's Committees of provinces and cities where the expressway passes through are requested to coordinate and support the arrangement and unification of the location of the dumping site, material gathering area, and the installation site of asphalt and cement concrete mixing stations; at the same time, create favorable conditions for granting construction permits and procedures related to material sources, ensuring sufficient and timely supply for the project.

VEC said that when the project is implemented in the form of emergency construction works, some special mechanisms will allow for immediate implementation of survey, design, preparation and review of feasibility study reports, and at the same time, organize project appraisal for early approval.

The survey and design of construction drawings are also carried out in parallel with the project approval process. Construction drawings will be approved for each item or section, allowing construction to be carried out on-site in the form of "design and construction". The specialized construction agency will conduct appraisals simultaneously throughout this process.

Ensure project completion in 2026

The selection of construction contractors will be carried out simultaneously with the preparation of construction drawings, contributing to shortening investment preparation time and speeding up construction progress, ensuring the completion of the basic project in 2026.

According to the plan, the project will start on August 19, 2025 - on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of National Day and will be basically completed in December 2026. The tunnel section is expected to be put into operation from April 2027.

VEC emphasized that if implemented as an emergency project and special mechanisms are applied, the investment preparation time will be shortened by about 3 months, and the entire project will be completed about 4 months earlier than the investment plan in the usual order.

Based on the above analysis, VEC recommends that the Prime Minister allow the project to be implemented in the form of an emergency construction project, in accordance with the provisions of Construction Law No. 50/2024/QH15, and at the same time apply a number of specific mechanisms to speed up the investment preparation and implementation process.

Noi Bai – Lao Cai Expressway was invested in construction and put into operation since 2014, in which, Noi Bai – Yen Bai section (Km0 – Km123+080) and the final section (Km244+155 – Km262+815) have been invested with a scale of 4 lanes.

Particularly, the Yen Bai - Lao Cai section (km123+080 - Km244+155) with a length of 121km has completed site clearance with a scale of 4 lanes, including 38km with complete investment of 4 lanes and 83km with a 2-lane scale, without a hard median strip in the middle.

After 10 years of operation, the road surface of the Yen Bai - Lao Cai section has deteriorated, the traffic volume on the route has increased, leading to slow operation speed, not meeting the design speed (about 50km/h), posing a high risk of traffic safety. With the current scale, this section will not meet traffic demand and is expected to exceed its capacity by 2025.

Phan Trang

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/de-xuat-mo-rong-doan-yen-bai-lao-cai-theo-hinh-thuc-cong-trinh-khan-cap-102250611135722619.htm