Preliminary bidding selects 51 investors for North-South Expressway

 

The North-South Expressway attracts many investors. — VNA/VNS Illustrative Photo

HÀ NỘI — Fifty-one investors have been selected in the preliminary bidding for seven public-private partnership (PPP) projects for the North-South Expressway.

The chosen investors are from individual companies as well as joint ventures between local and foreign businesses.

The Mai Sơn-Highway No 45 project has 11 investors, according to the Department of Public-Private Partnership.

The section of Highway No 45-Nghi Sơn project, which covers 43km, with investment of more than VNĐ6.3 trillion (US$260 million), has five investors.

The Nghi Sơn-Diễn Châu project which covers 50km, with investment of more than VNĐ8.3 trillion, has six investors.

Ten investors have been selected for the next bidding round for the Diễn Châu-Bãi Vọt stretch.

Investors have also been chosen for the Nha Trang-Cam Lâm project, Cam Lâm-Vĩnh Hảo project and Vĩnh Hảo-Phan Thiết project.

The bidding application for the Phan Thiết-Dầu Giây section will open on Saturday morning.

The section covers 99km, with investment of more than VNĐ14.3 million, including more than VNĐ2.4 trillion from the State budget.

The Ministry of Transport will evaluate preliminary bidding results in September and issue bidding documents from October 2019 to January 2020.

The ministry will evaluate bidding documents in January and February and approve the investor selection in March.

The North-South Expressway covers 2,109km, extending from the northern mountainous Lạng Sơn Province to the southern province of Cà Mau.

Once it is completed, it is expected to become the key route connecting traffic in the entire country.

A number of sections covering 601km are under construction.

Eleven more sections in the 2017-21 period received investment of about VNĐ118.7 trillion, including VNĐ55 trillion from the State budget.

The three sections fully funded by the State budget are Cao Bồ-Mai Sơn (15km), Cam Lộ-La Sơn (98km) and Mỹ Thuận Bridge (7km).

Investors of Build-Operate-Transfer projects are allowed to collect toll fees, starting at VNĐ1,500 per km per car under 12 seats. The toll can be increased once every three years until it reaches VNĐ3,400 per km per car. — VNS