Completing Transport Infrastructure Network

Determined that “traffic must be one step ahead of development,” Tay Ninh province has focused on carrying out a breakthrough program on social and economic infrastructure development, especially transport infrastructure, and initially achieved very encouraging results to gradually complete the synchronous transport network. The good transport system generates growth for the economy and plays an important role in local development.

Specifically on road development, in addition to five centrally invested projects in Tay Ninh province, the Ministry of Transport is currently carrying out four projects in the province, including Ho Chi Minh City - Moc Bai Expressway, Chon Thanh - Duc Hoa Section on Ho Chi Minh Road, upgraded National Highway 22B, and border patrol road. Particularly, the extended National Road 14C project is waiting for Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh and Long An provinces to invest and put into operation to be transformed into a national highway. Besides, the Department of Transport of Tay Ninh province advised the Provincial People’s Committee to propose the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam to invest 28 bridges according to the LRAMP Project with a total budget of VND53,808 million. To date, 10 bridges have been basically completed.

On traffic projects invested by Tay Ninh province, to execute in the Public Investment Plan in 2016-2020 and the Action Program for implementation of the Resolution of the 10th Congress, the Department of Transportation and the Tay Ninh Project Management Unit for Transport Construction Investment invested VND3,529.95 billion in 29 projects, with VND1,370,540 billion disbursed by to August 2019, or 38.8% of the adjusted plan (reaching 67.94% of the initial plan). Up to now, 23 out of 29 projects have been launched (accounting for 79.31% of the plan) and the remaining six projects are expected to be started in 2020, including Tran Phu Street (from Gate 7 of Cathedral to National Highway 22B), Road 781 (from Chau Thanh Town to Phuoc Tan Border Gate), Road 794 (from Ka Tum Junction to Saigon Bridge - phase 2), Road 787B (from Hai Chau Crossroad to Road 789), Hoang Le Kha Road (from CMT8 to Boi Loi Road) and extended Road 790 (from Khedol - Suoi Da to Bo Ho - Bau Vuong - Gate No. 3 - phase 2).

Regarding inland waterway network development, the Department of Transport advised the Provincial People’s Committee to propose the Ministry of Transport plan two dry inland clearance depots (ICD) in the province which were approved by the Ministry of Transport in Decision 1201/QD-BGTVT dated June 11, 2018, on detailed planning for Vietnam Inland Port System Development Plan to 2020, with an eye to 2030. In particular, Moc Bai ICD invested by Newport Co., Ltd is expected to be put into operation in 2019. Thanh Phuoc ICD is currently operational. VRG is seeking investment partners to invest in an ICD in 2020.

In addition, the department advised the Provincial People’s Committee to propose the Ministry of Transport adjust and extend the inland waterway of Saigon - Ben Suc to Tay Ninh province. At the same time, it asked for adding Tay Ninh dry ports and inland ports to the Master Plan on Vietnam Inland Waterway Transport Development to 2020, with an eye to 2030; the Detailed Plan for Southern Inland Waterway Port System Development to 2020, with an orientation to 2030, and the Detailed Plan for Vietnam Inland Port System Development to 2020, with an eye to 2030.

To facilitate investment in local transport infrastructure network development, the Provincial People’s Committee established the Workgroup on Socioeconomic Infrastructure Development, especially transport infrastructure, and Steering Board for Key Projects to closely coordinate with relevant agencies to carry out projects, bring teamwork performance into full play, raise the sense of responsibility of agency leaders. As for central investment projects in the locality, Tay Ninh actively cooperates with ministries and central agencies from the stage of project formulation to promptly contribute ideas to promote investment efficiency and avoid waste and accelerate project implementation. The province no longer needs to wait for ministries and central branches to seek new opinions for concerned projects, resulting in slow progress. Since then, many local recommendations have been approved by ministries and central authorities, such as the adjustment to scale and direction of the Border Patrol Road and the repair of National Road 22B.

Mr. Nguyen Tan Tai, Director of the Department of Transport of Tay Ninh Province, said, the current bottleneck is that the demand for transport infrastructure investment is huge while it is very difficult to mobilize the necessary funds through the new PPP form. Some projects have to be phased out (e.g. Provincial Road 794, Provincial Road 781 and Provincial Road 793) due to limited budget, largely sourced from the government. “Given limited local resources, Tay Ninh province advocates prioritizing the implementation of strategic, influential and leading projects to promote rapid and sustainable socioeconomic development. The Provincial People’s Committee instructs professional agencies to complete fundraising plans soon to submit to higher authority for approval to launch the projects. It studies solutions to mobilize more investment resources for local socioeconomic infrastructure development, including transport infrastructure, and actively calling for strategic investors to Tay Ninh province to do business to create a driving force for local sustainable economic development,” he said.

Cong Minh