As part of the on-going Da Nang-Quang Ngai Expressway project, the 65km-long section between the city and Quang Nam Province’s Tam Ky City opened to traffic on Wednesday.  

Cars running on the newly-opened section

The deployment of this large-scale project, the first of its kind in the central region, is part of the country’s expressway network development plans by 2020, with a vision towards 2030.

Work started on the project in May 2013 at a total estimated cost of over 1.6 billion USD.  Of this, 798.5 million USD in loans is offered by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), 590.3 million USD is lent by the World Bank (WB), and the remainder is funded from the national budget.

The Viet Nam Expressway Corporation (VEC) is the project’s developer, whilst the Civil Engineering Construction Corporation No 1 (CIENCO 1) and the Civil Engineering Construction Corporation No 5 (CIENCO 5) are the main contractors.

The expressway will run through Da Nang, and Quang Nam and Quang Ngai provinces.  Locally, the road will pass through Hoa Phong, Hoa Tien and Hoa Nhon communes in Hoa Vang District.  It will start from the intersection of 14B Highway and a bypass on the southern side of the Hai Van Tunnel, which is in Hoa Vang District’s Hoa Nhon Commune.  It will end in Nghia Ky Commune, Tu Nghia District, Quang Ngai Province.

The 139.52km, 6-lane route consists of a 131.5 km expressway and an 8.02km road linking the expressway to 1A National Highway.  It will incorporate 4 intersections, a tunnel under the Eo Mountain and 59 bridges with a total length of over 7,000m.  There will also be a traffic control centre, a centre for traffic operations and road maintenance services, rest stops, toll booths and an Intelligent Transport System (ITS), sewage outfalls, rainwater drainage systems, and other auxiliary facilities. 

The remaining sections of the expressway are expected to be put into use by the end of this year.

The inauguration ceremony in progress

Once operational, this road will form part of Viet Nam’s north-south expressway.  It will play an important role in accelerating the development of the central region’s economic hub, as well as strengthening the links between Da Nang and the provinces of Quang Nam and Quang Ngai.  In addition, the socio-economic development of the 3 localities will be boosted, their security and defence will be ensured, and the living conditions of their local residents will be improved.  It will also improve international transport links between Laos, Cambodia, and Viet Nam, through the East-West Corridor, to a number of seaports in central Viet Nam. 

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Da Nang-Tam Ky section, municipal People’s Committee Chairman Huynh Duc Tho spoke highly of the great efforts made by the project’s developers and construction units, especially the displaced households’ willingness to move out of the site.  He highlighted the significance of the expressway project in fully tapping the great development potentials of the 3 countries.

The city leader also asked the national government and the Ministry of Transport to pay more attention to projects for ensuring closer links between central regional localities.  Included are the upgrade of the 14B and 14G highways, the expansion of the city’s international airport, the location of the city’s railway station, the Lien Chieu Port, the East-West Economic Corridor No 2 and the dredging of the Co Co River. 

Currently, VEC is collecting road tolls from the drivers of 4-wheeled vehicles running on the Da Nang-Tam Ky section.  The minimum fee will be 20,000 VND for under 12-seater vehicles, under 2-ton trucks, and public buses, whilst the maximum fee will be 380,000 VND for over 18-ton and 40-foot-long container trucks.