Workers speed up construction on Quan Lo - Phung Hiep National Highway, which runs through Hau Giang, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau provinces. — Photo courtesy of Ministry of Transport

Despite the rainy season, the contractors are speeding up work on the upgrade of the 103km Quan Lo-Phung Hiep National Highway that runs through the provinces of Hau Giang, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau.

The upgrade is divided into six packages.

Construction of packages XL1 and XL2 began in February, while XL3, XL4, XL5 and XL6 packages began in May.

Hoang Thai Ngoc from Thi Son Company, the contractor of package XL1, said about 40 officers, technicians and workers are working at the construction site for a 20km section of the highway.

About 18km of the section have been widened and asphalt has been poured, while the 2km remaining section has been covered by macadam.

“If the weather is favorable, our work will be completed in October or November, three months ahead of schedule,” Ngoc said.

Nguyen Thanh Quang of CP Company, contractor of package XL2, said that it had poured asphalt on 9km of a 25km section of the highway. The work is expected to be finished by the end of October, he said.

The XL3, XL4, XL5 packages have covered the road’s surface with sand and have started applying a layer of macadam.

Construction of the packages has been divided into 300m sections to ensure traffic safety.

Mobilising a sufficient number of workers, machinery and equipment has been difficult because of the impact of the second COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

There is also a shortage of materials used in road building, such as asphalt, concrete, stone and sand, in the delta.

The contractors have made efforts to ensure that the work progresses on schedule. They are also taking advantage of weather conditions to work overtime to compensate for the slow progress.

The upgrade of the highway is expected to be completed before Tet.

The highway will ease traffic from Hau Giang Province to Ca Mau Province. It will shorten the travel distance by nearly 50km compared with the National Highway No.1A.

The project on upgrading National Highway No.53 on a 43.8km section from Chau Thanh District to Duyen Hai Town in Tra Vinh Province is also under construction.

It is divided into six packages. Contractors are speeding up the progress of the packages. It includes rebuilding 12.3 km and widening 31.5 km, and building two new bridges and expanding five existing bridges on the section.

About 35 per cent of the project’s construction volume has been completed.

Contractors aim to finish construction of packages XL1 and XL2 in January, and XL3, XL4, XL5 and XL6 packages in May.

The upgrade of National Highway No.53 will meet transport demand and socio-economic development in Tra Vinh Province and enhance connectivity among delta provinces.

The work on the 55.1km Trung Luong-My Thuan Expressway between Tien Giang Province near HCM City and Can Tho City, and the 51km Lo Te-Rach Soi Highway between Can Tho City and Kien Giang Province, are expected to be completed before the Tet holiday.

The project to upgrade and expand four small bridges on National Highway No.1A through Tien Giang Province is expected to open for traffic before Tet.

The completion of these projects is expected to shorten the travel time between HCM City and the Mekong Delta region and reduce traffic on National Highway 1A during peak hours and holidays.  VNS

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