$360-mln extension proposed for HCMC-Da Lat expressway

The extension, called Dau Giay – Tan Phu Expressway, will be 17 meters wide, and have four lanes for vehicles to move at 100 kph, according to a recent proposal by Thang Long Project Management Board, a unit under the Ministry of Transport, to the ministry.

Built under the public-private partnerships format, the expressway will start from the intersection of National Highway 1 and Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thanh – Dau Giay Expressway in Dong Nai’s Thong Nhat District, and end at the intersection with National Highway 20 in Tan Phu District in Dong Nai, a HCMC’s neighbor.

Its cost is estimated at VND8.3 trillion ($360 million), including VND5 trillion of construction cost and the rest is for site clearance and compensation.

Thang Long Project Management Board said the government should use the state budget to cover VND1.3 trillion while for the remaining sum, it would call on private investors.

Dau Giay – Tan Phu Expressway is part of Dau Giay – Lien Khuong Expressway, which will stretch more than 200 kilometers to link Dong Nai with Lam Dong Province, home to Da Lat.

Together with HCMC – Long Thanh – Giau Day Expressway, it will create a new route to connect HCMC with Central Highlands localities, easing traffic pressure on National Highway 20.

As proposed previously, the other two sections of the route, Tan Phu – Bao Loc, will run 66 kilometers from Dong Nai to Lam Dong at the cost of VND19.5 trillion, and Bao Loc – Lien Khuong, 74 kilometers within Lam Dong Province at the cost of VN12.5 trillion.