Quang Nam intends to invest in and extend National Highway 14D via a BOT

DNHN - On September 20, the Office of the People's Committee of Quang Nam Province informed the Government Office that the People's Committee of Quang Nam Province had just sent a document to the Government Office requesting investment in the form of BOT in the project of expanding and upgrading National Highway 14D on the current route.

National Highway 14D, a 74.4-kilometre-long roadway linking Ho Chi Minh City to the Nam Giang international border gate in Quang Nam province, is part of the East-West Economic Corridor 2 (EWEC2), which runs through three countries: Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. The road is critical to the socioeconomic growth of Quang Nam province, Da Nang, and the central major economic zone.

The existing road has inadequate technical requirements, many tiny turns, weak pavement construction, is frequently damaged, and is unsuitable for traffic hauling high weights.

Furthermore, many firms in the central main economic zone use this route to deliver commodities produced in Vietnam to consumers in the southern region of Laos and northeastern Thailand.

The road system on the Lao side has been expanded due to the increasing demand for transporting goods through Nam Giang International Border Gate, while the National Highway 14D has not yet met transportation demand. The Ministry of Transport has researched and formulated a policy to invest in projects to expand and upgrade National Highway 14D but has not yet balanced capital sources for implementation.

Previously, at a meeting with Quang Nam province in March 2022, the Prime Minister agreed on the policy of studying and investing in a new route connecting Nam Giang international border gate economic zone to Quang Nam seaport through PPP, but the actual survey revealed that the most efficient route is to follow the current National Highway 14D.

Due to the challenging topography of the area, the large variation in altitude, intricate geology, and extremely expensive investment costs, the investment plan for the new route is not possible. When constructing a new route, it is not viable to use the existing land fund and infrastructure of National Highway 14D, resulting in high maintenance expenses for both routes. Furthermore, the new route must pass through Song Thanh National Park, which will have a severe impact on both the present condition and the natural forest ecology.

In terms of the investment method and capital source, investment along the existing path requires the use of state budget resources, but the government is currently unable to balance the capital source. In the case of investment in the form of a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract, National Assembly Standing Committee Resolution No. 437 has not been properly implemented, which is "only applicable to new roads to ensure the safety of road construction" the right to choose for people, not to invest in projects to renovate and upgrade existing monorails.

Based on the issues raised above, Quang Nam province requested that the Government Office submit a report to the Prime Minister for consideration and submission to the National Assembly Standing Committee to reach an agreement on the policy of investment, expansion, and upgrading of the National Highway 14D in the form of a BOT on the route.

In this case, the toll collection plan and reasonable toll station location will be studied (it is expected that toll collection will only be for freight vehicles passing through Nam Giang International Border Gate, and the location of toll booths will be considered in Nam Giang International Border Gate Economic Zone) so as not to interfere with the interests of people travelling on this route who are not subject to the transport of goods through the border gate.

Trong Tam