Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport (MoT) has urged authorities of the central province of Binh Dinh to hand over cleared land for the Central Highlands Connectivity Improvement Project, funded by the World Bank (WB) and the Australian government, by November 15, state media reported.
The MoT said seven out of eight packages have been completed, but unresolved land disputes with some residents pose risks to meeting the project deadline as the project has approximately two months left.
The ministry is directing the investor Project Management Unit 2 and contractors to expedite work to complete the project by the end of December, before the loan agreement's expiration.
The project is designed to upgrade 127 kilometers (km) of National Highway 19 and build three bridges and 39 km of bypasses in the Central Highlands.
It has a total investment of $155.8 million, including $150 million worth of loans from the WB’s International Development Association (IDA), $2.1 million worth of non-refundable grants from the Australian government, and the rest from the local budget.
(Suc Khoe Doi Song [1])