First phase of Ha Noi bridge finished

The first phase of the Vinh Tuy Bridge has been completed in time for the 1,000th anniversary celebrations of Thang Long-Ha Noi. — VNA/VNS Photo Anh Ton

HA NOI — Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai inaugurated Vinh Tuy Bridge's first phase yesterday in Ha Noi.

The bridge is set to be the widest bridge in Viet Nam and is one of the major construction projects that is celebrating the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Ha Noi.

Construction of the bridge kicked off in 2005. The bridge is the first major project financed by the municipal People's Committee with VND3.6 trillion (US$185 million) in total investment capital.

Hai said he highly valued the effort put forward by municipal leaders, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Construction and related agencies.

He spoke highly of the contributions made by workers and residents, who have overcome difficulties to build the bridge.

Hai said this was an extremely important project and the bridge was a developmental milestone that would promote the city's industrialisation and modernisation as well as the Hong (Red) River region.

"This is an event that marks the maturity and development of Viet Nam's bridge construction sector," Hai said.

He instructed the capital to begin the second construction phase.

The bridge, which opened for public use last September, is one of seven Hong (Red) River crossings, which will help ease congestion in the capital. It will also reduce traffic flow and contribute to the completion of the city's Ring Road No 2.

The bridge has four lanes for traffic. About 34,000 vehicles now can cross the bridge and approximately 72,000 vehicles per day will be able to use the structure by 2020. — VNS

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Toll collection for Can Tho Bridge begins this week

The Can Tho Bridge Toll Gate ready for operation - Photo: Mong Binh

HCMC - The Ministry of Transport has approved toll collection from September 15 for the Can Tho Bridge spanning the Hau River to connect Can Tho City and Vinh Long Province in the Mekong Delta.

The approval came after the Ministry of Finance issued circular 84/2010/TT-BTC governing the lowest toll level of VND15,000 (around 77 U.S. cents) per trip for vehicles of less than 12 seats and two tons as well as public buses running on the longest cable-stayed bridge in Southeast Asia.

The highest toll of VND100,000 (US$5.1) per trip applies to trucks with 40-foot containers and vehicles with combined load of 18 tons or more. The lowest monthly and quarterly charges are VND450,000 and VND1.2 million respectively while the highest corresponding levels are VND3 million and VND8.1 million.

The long-awaited Can Tho Bridge was opened to traffic on April 24, 2010 after nearly six years of construction. This bridge on National Highway 1A cost more than VND4.83 trillion (some US$248 million), which was funded by Japan’s official development assistance fund and the counter capital of Vietnam.

The 15.85-kilometer-long bridge was designed for vehicles to move at a speed of up to 80 kilometers per hour. Approach roads on either side of this four-lane bridge are 13.1 kilometers combined, and consisted of nine auxiliary bridges, with four in Vinh Long Province and five in Can Tho.

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Binh Trieu 1 Bridge reopened to traffic

Binh Trieu 1 Bridge is reopened to traffic with Binh Trieu 2 Bridge seen in the background - Photo: Anh Quan

HCMC – HCMC Infrastructure Investment Co. (CII) last week reopened Binh Trieu 1 Bridge to all traffic, doing away with the serious traffic congestion often seen during the upgrade of the bridge.

The bridge had been widened to three lanes from the previous two and its capacity had been increased to allow trucks of 30 tons rather than 16 tons to cross.

Duong Quang Chau, deputy director for investment of CII, said that after the upgrade, which lasted one year, the bridge was open to all kinds of traffic.

The upgrade cost just VND83.6 billion, he said, adding if a new bridge was built, the cost would amount to around VND300 billion.

Contractor Freyssinet Vietnam provides a 30-year warranty for Binh Trieu 1 Bridge.

CII on Sunday began toll collection on Binh Trieu 2 Bridge, which runs in parallel with Binh Trieu 1. The company suspended toll collection for fear that it would worsen traffic jams during the upgrade of Binh Trieu 1.

It is Freyssinet which will be responsible for repairing the Saigon Bridge in October. The HCMC government has chosen Freyssinet Vietnam for the repair project which costs an estimated VND44 billion.

The bridge, which is the main link between the city center and Hanoi Highway and northern provinces, is in bad need of repair as about 40,000 container trucks use it everyday.

Last October, the local government repaired a hole that suddenly appeared in the bridge surface.

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