The Ministry of Transport is working with the Ha Nam Province People's Committee to create a road detour around Phu Ly City, which has been heavily polluted by traffic from National Highway 1. At a meeting early this week, the investor, design consultancy unit and local leaders discussed ways to do this, as well as shorten the project duration and save capital. The 23.3 km road would start from the Gie Bridge toll station in Duy Tien District and end at the National Highway 1 intersection in Thanh Liem District. Vehicles driving along National Highway 1 would use this road instead of city roads in Duy Tien, Kim Bang and Thanh Liem districts. Currently, the segment of National Highway 1 passing through Phu Ly City sees regular traffic congestion and accidents, especially in the T-junction between the National Highway 1, National Highway 21 and the railroad. Dust, emissions and noise pollution from vehicles have also seriously affected people's health and the environment. Building the road under the BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) model requires more than VND2 trillion ($94.3 million). Construction will kick off at the end of next month. The road is scheduled to open for traffic in 2017. Mai Tien Dung, chairman of the provincial People's Committee, asked local authorities to finish site clearance by the end of this month. (Vietnam News Aug 6)
