VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Transport has been preparing two ring-road projects designed to ease traffic pressure in HCM City's inner districts and curb the number of people settling in the inner city.

Total investment for ring roads No 3 and 4 is estimated at VND154.3 trillion (US$7.71 billion).

Ring Road No. 3, to be 89.3 km long, would run through HCM City and the southern provinces of Dong Nai, Binh Duong and Long An. It is capitalised at VND55.8 trillion ($2.79 billion).

Ring Road No 3 is designed as a six to eight-lane expressway that would allow vehicles to travel at 80 km to 100 km per hour. The project would be carried out between 2011 and 2010.

The Ring Road No 4 project aims to build a 196.5-km long expressway of six to eight lanes, that would run through HCM City and the provinces of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Dong Nai, Binh Duong and Long An.

Construction of the project costs VND98.5 trillion ($4.92 billion).

The My Thuan Project Management Unit is the agency assigned to implement the ring-road projects.

The management unit has urged the Transport Ministry to carry out preparation such as zoning and building of fences along areas covered by the ring roads.

The unit said expenses for site clearance would be covered by the State budget, while capital for construction costs would be mobilised from official development assistance (ODA) loans and other sources under the Public-Private Partnership and Build-Operate-Transfer investment modes.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News