Investment cost, toll collection time for Bach Dang bridge project slashed

The office pointed out the project’s discrepancies and technical shortcomings. The SAV demanded the project’s management to provide additional documents on a number of construction material costs and contractors.



While the bridge has been deemed safe for travel by the State Council for Assessment for the time being and opened to traffic since September last year, the SAV insisted the project’s management and the provincial authorities work together to address the above mentioned issues in a timely manner.



Despite the fact that the project completion time was allowed to be pushed back three times, there are still several categories that remained unfinished by the time the project went under audit, many still lagging behind the original deadlines, said the office.



The provincial Department of Transport was to share part of the blame for failing in its responsibility to monitor and supervise the implementation of the project.



The Bach Dang bridge project, the first cable-stayed bridge designed and engineered by Vietnam, started construction in January 2015 with a total investment cost estimated at 7.2 trillion VND (308 million USD). It was initially set to be completed before July 2018.



The bridge helps shorten travel distance from the capital city of Hanoi to the coastal city of Ha Long, one of Vietnam’s top tourist destinations and home to the UNESCO Heritage Site Ha Long Bay, from 180km to 130km. Travel distance between Ha Long and the port city of Hai Phong was also reduced to 25km, instead of 75km as before.