HCMC – The Ministry of Transport has approved a plan to develop 36 rest areas along the North-South Expressway, stretching from the northern province of Lang Son to the southernmost province of Ca Mau, reported the Vietnam News Agency.
Currently, the cross-country expressway only has seven operational rest areas, with two more under construction. The plan aims to construct rest areas every 50-60 kilometers along the expressway, with each province having one or two rest areas.
With 27 rest areas yet to be developed along the North-South Expressway, the project management boards and the Vietnam Expressway Corporation will select investors through wide-ranging tenders to attract private sector investment.
In the initial phase, they will call for investment in eight rest areas along the sections of the expressway that have already been or are about to be opened to traffic.
The process of investor selection is expected to take around 3-5 months, followed by an additional 9-12 months for investors to complete administrative procedures and construction.
During the second phase of the North-South Expressway, the ministry plans to call for investment in the remaining 19 rest areas and aims to have them operational by 2025 when the expressway is fully completed.
The first phase of the North-South Expressway (2017-2021) includes 11 components, six of which six with a total length of 425 kilometers have been completed. By the end of this year, three more sections, including National Highway 45-Nghi Son, Nghi Son-Dien Chau, and My Thuan 2 Bridge, will be opened to traffic.
