The 63km road will pass through seven districts in Ha Tay Province from Phuc Tho (36 km from Ha Noi) to Phu Xuyen District (35 km from Ha Noi). The four-lane road will have a width of 42m - and a separate 5m strip of trees.

Deputy Minister of Construction Tran Ngoc Chinh said the road would help reduce vehicle flow in and out Ha Noi city, link with highways to provinces in the north, northwest, west, southwest and Northeast; and with the Ha Noi - Hai Phong expressway.

He said the road also suited Ha Noi's expansion plans and, therefore, had been advocated by the Ministries of Planning and Investment, Transport, and Environment and Natural Resources. The Prime Minister approved the project in principle on February 5.

The road will take five years to build, using the so-called Build-Transfer (BT) model, which is suitable in the current financial climate.

The provincial People's Committee chose the Nam Cuong Group as contractor for the project.

The group will build the road with its own capital and, in return, the committee will give the group land to implement other projects. Chairman of the group, Tran Van Cuong, said that Nam Cuong had the financial, human and material resources to complete the project - as well as the equipment.

"Experience in building highways and roads in urban zones in provinces and cities nationwide will enable the group complete the road in time - and with ensured quality," he said, adding that it would become the most modern road to the capital when completed.

Industrial zones, urban zones with a population of 500,000, trade and services centres, and cultural centres are expected to be established on both sides of the road.

Infrastructure such as electricity and communications will be installed underground.

Source: Vietnam News