The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has announced that it will stop providing official development assistance (ODA) loans to Nhat Tan bridge project in Hanoi if the capital city fails to complete site clearance on schedule. The local authority has urged the investors and concerned agencies to quicken the project, the Thoi bao Kinh te newspaper reported. The bridge costing VND13.6 trillion ($715.04 million) will connect the city center with industrial parks in the north, including the North Thang Long-Van Tri, Dong Anh-Co Loa, and Gia Lam-Sai Dong-Yen Vien IPs. The nine-km Nhat Tan Bridge project, including the 3.7km bridge crossing the Red River, is the longest bridge in Vietnam. Work on the bridge, which is 33.2 meters wide and divided into four lanes with two for buses and two for other vehicles, is expected to be completed in October 2012.
