Raft village to be removed for major Mekong Delta bridge construction

Pham Van Sang, chairman of Chau Thanh District in Tien Giang Province, which is home to those floating rafts, said Tuesday all fish farmers have agreed with the plan.

Each farmer will be compensated with VND8-13 million ($340-550) depending on the scale of their rafts, he said.

It is expected that the removal would occur within this month.

Apart from the rafts, 257 households living in an area of more than 26 hectares must also be resettled. So far, the bridge contractor has received 30% of the cleared land.

 

 

Raft village to be removed for major Mekong Delta bridge construction

Dời làng bè nuôi cá thi công cầu Rạch Miễu 2

Work on Rach Mieu 2 Bridge already started in March to connect the delta’s Tien Giang and Ben Tre provinces.

Costing VND5.2 trillion ($228.6 million), it crosse the Tien River and is expected to be completed after three years.

Built four kilometers from the existing Rach Mieu Bridge, the new bridge is 17.6 kilometers long, including roads leading to the bridge, and 21.5 meters wide with four lanes.

For the project, 62 hectares of land in Tien Giang and Ben Tre have to be cleared.

The project is funded with the state budget, including VND3 trillion for construction and building materials, and the rest for site clearance and project management.

When put into use, Rach Mieu 2 will be the seventh bridge crossing the Tien River to boost connectivity in the delta.

The new bridge will also ease congestion along Rach Mieu Bridge. On normal days, around 18,000 cars use the bridge, and the figure usually jumps to 20,000 during weekends and holidays, three times its designed capacity. During the Lunar New Year, the biggest holiday in Vietnam, overload is much greater.