VietNamNet Bridge –The Ministry of Transport is trying to speed up delayed traffic projects of all types, including Da Nang International Airport.

Phap Van-Cau Gie Overpass in Ha Noi nears completion. But in other regions, delayed traffic projects have been creating concern. (Photo: VNS)

Minister Dinh La Thang said his staff would co-operate with the ministries of Finance and Planning and Investment to speed up the projects.

Thang said they would also provide mechanisms to mobilise capital for infrastructure, administrative procedures and investment models.

He has asked ministries to give guidance in paying for suspended projects according to Resolution 11, which required some projects to halt in order to stabilise the macro-economy.

Under the resolution, 116 ministry projects have been delayed. However, the ministry has not been able to implement administrative procedures because the Government did not specify which categories of project should be delayed.

Tran Quoc Viet, head of the Construction Management and Traffic Quality Department said a lack of oversight could make it difficult for investors to adjust prices and determine the time frame.

Deputy general director of Project Management Unit 1 Nguyen Quoc Binh said the project to upgrade the section of National Highway 6 through Tuan Giao District in northern Lai Chau Province was given VND75 billion (US$3.6 million) from the ministry while its total investment was VND2.4 trillion ($115 million).

Binh said the money was not enough to pay contractors and the project had a debt of VND100 billion ($4.9 million).

"All of our 15 packages had broken ground and mobilised the machines to be ready for construction under signed contracts. Slow-moving projects caused congestion in the process," he added.

Deputy general director of Project Management Unit 2 Lam Van Hoang agreed, saying they did not have the funds to finish the project, and the incomplete work could be destroyed at any point due to floods and storms.

Nguyen Ngoc Huan, a representative from Dong Do Group, which has begun to upgrade National Highway 2C in northern Tuyen Quang Province, said they have suffered losses because they could not pay for finished works.

"Our equipment has been left unused at the work site since we could not get loans from banks," Huan told Viet Nam News yesterday.

He said they did not want to stop construction but could not pay workers. "The Construction Ministry decided to compensate for the costs of construction due to increasing material prices. However, it could not implement the policy because it does not have enough money to pay for current slow projects," he added.

"We have to use our own capital to complete the construction and ensure traffic can pass through the province, not to mention provide livelihoods for workers."

Head of the Transport Ministry's Planning and Investment Department Nguyen Hoang said delayed projects could lead to damage at construction sites and waste labour forces.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News