Da Nang (VNA) –
The central city of Da Nang has rushed to complete a traffic-easing tunnel
project at one of the city’s busiest roundabouts before the APEC Economic
Leaders’ Meeting begins on November 5.
Work on the tunnel at the junction of Dien Bien Phu, Nguyen Tri Phuong and Le
Do streets began 11 months ago, according to the city’s managing board of
Priority Infrastructure Projects.
The 220 billion VND (9.77 million USD) road tunnel project, part of the city’s
World Bank-funded sustainable development project, will replace the current
ground-level intersection with a system of 160m-long open air tunnels and 80m
underground tunnels.
It is now technically complete, though not yet open to traffic. There will be
two lanes for Bus Rapid Transit along with another two lanes for other
vehicles.
It’s the city’s second such road project after a tunnel at the West Han River
bank traffic intersection commenced construction last October, and one of the
key projects in the city’s strategy to promote public transport and a Bus Rapid
Transit (BRT) network.
Nguyen Huu Tuan, deputy general director of Thuan An construction and trading
joint-stock company, a contractor of the project, said the tunnel’s opening
will take place ahead of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, which the city is
hosting for the first time.
“We have completed the technical inspection before opening for traffic. We
revved up the construction schedule to complete the project in time before the
APEC meeting,” Tuan said.
“We had some items delays, but labourers worked through the nights to finish
the tunnel early,” Tuan said.
The city also plans to build a metro, tramway, and underground and sky train
between 2020 and 2030.
With a population of one million, Da Nang’s current public transit system is
not meeting the needs of local residents. Only 1 percent of the 2.5 million
daily journeys in the city are made by public transport.
Da Nang, the third largest city in Vietnam, has invested in urban development
to become the largest city in the central region and a green city by 2025, with
funds from the World Bank.
In 2013, the World Bank agreed to provide 202 million USD for a 272 million USD
sustainable development project to help build the city’s Bus Rapid Transit network,
lay new roads and revamp the drainage system.
The bank also funded a five-year priority infrastructure project for the city,
by covering 70 percent of the total cost of 218.4 million USD.
The APEC 2017 Economic Leaders’ Week with major events in Da Nang city and
Quang Nam province is an external focus of Vietnam between now and 2020.
Vietnam is expected to welcome around 10,000 delegates, including leaders of 21
APEC member economies, over 2,000 leading corporate executives and nearly 3,000
reporters in the region and the world.-VNA