VietNamNet Bridge – Hanoi, the political, economic and cultural
center of Viet Nam, has attracted a large number of people from other
areas coming to work and settle in recent years.
The modern flyover highway above the section of Mai Dich-Northern Linh Dam Lake on the Belt Road No.3.
According
to the statistics of the General Office for Population and Family
Planning, in 2012, the population of Hanoi reached over seven million.
Its large population has caused many difficulties, such as in housing,
the environment and employment and especially with traffic problems.
Nearly
10 years ago, Hanoians endured traffic jams at some hot spots, such as
the section from Phap Van Road to Giai Phong Road at the Southern gate
to the city, Kim Lien Crossroads, Nga Tu So and Lang Road. In these
situations the State and Hanoi authority set out suitable solutions,
including expanding the capital boundaries in 2008, building and
upgrading the infrastructure with special focus on the traffic projects.
However, due to the limited budget, the traffic infrastructure was not
solved systematically.
To solve the problem, Hanoi has
mobilized official development assistance (ODA). Transport has always
been given top priority in ODA-funded projects. By the end of 2012, ODA
funds for traffic accounted for 36.28pct of the ODA disbursement (over
$1.8 billion).
With this source, Hanoi has quickly solved the
problem of “traffic-bottlenecks” which was once major cause of traffic
jams for the residents.
The first bottleneck removed was the
Phap Van-Giai Phong highway. Before 2000, this route was overcrowded
with traffic coming from all directions round-the-clock. Nguyen Thi
Phuong who lives in Dai Kim Ward at this area recalled “In the past, at
peak hours, this route was very chaotic with vehicles blocking the road
several kilometers along. Living on the road, my family could not endure
the dust and noise, so we intended to sell our house to move to another
place.”
Fortunately, in October 2012, a flyover highway above
the section of Mai Dich-Northern Linh Dam Lake on the Belt Road No.3 was
built, that improve the traffic at the gate to the city. It is the most
modern flyover highway route in Viet Nam using ODA from Japan.
This
route not only solves the problem of traffic jams but also connects
with other routes, such as highways 1, 5 and 18, and the Phap Van – Ninh
Binh, Lang – Hoa Lac, and Thang Long – Noi Bai highways, creating a
transport system linking the South to the North of Hanoi.
In
2012, with ODA, Hanoi built and put into use 5/18 overpasses at the
intersections of Chua Boc – Tay Son, Lang Ha – Huynh Thuc Khang, Lang –
Le Van Luong, Lang – Tran Duy Hung, and Nam Hong Crossroads. Talking
about the effectiveness of these projects, Captain Nguyen Phuong Nam at
the Hanoi Traffic Police Department, who is in charge of traffic control
at the Chua Boc – Tay Son intersections, said “Previously, there were
serious traffic jams at this place.
Since the overpasses were put
into operation, the division of lanes has been easier and the waiting
time for the red light has been shortened, thus considerably reducing
the traffic jams.”
Beside the traffic projects built with ODA
funds, the traffic software projects have also been proven effective.
Japan is a pioneer in investing in traffic soft skills with the project
“Northern Viet Nam National Roads Traffic Safety Improvement” with $65
million in loans from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency
(JICA).
Takao Inami, consulting director of this project said
“Our project was implemented in 10 provinces and cities, focusing on
Hanoi. Now we are organizing several training courses on capacity
enhancement for over 300 traffic policemen in Hanoi.”
In
addition, we have organized 18 training courses on traffic safety for
over 900 cadres and 30,204 people in many surrounding provinces and
cities.
Recently, during a visit to some Japanese ODA projects
in Hanoi, Tsuno Motonori, Chief Representative of JICA Office in Viet
Nam said “Hanoi has used effectively the ODA of the Japanese Government.
These projects will help establish a part of a modern traffic system in
Hanoi, improve the transport system of goods, solve traffic jams and
contribute to the socio-economic development of the city.”
Key projects
At
the Consultative Group Meeting held at then end of 2012, the bilateral
and multi-lateral sponsors pledged to continue providing ODA for Viet
Nam with about $6.5 billion n the fiscal year 2013, of which Japan alone
pledged to provide about $2.6 billion, focusing on the development of
the infrastructure and training of human resources.
Hanoi is
concentrating on two key projects built with Japanese Government’s ODA,
including the Nhat Tan Bridge and Terminal 2 of Noi Bai International
Airport.
The Nhat Tan Bridge has been defined by the
Government as a national key project. As designed, it is a six-span
cable-stayed bridge with a total length of 1,500 meters. It has five
gigantic towers which are 110m high, symbolizing the five city gates of
Hanoi. The bridge has a unique structure of multi-spans which will be a
prominent structure in the history of bridges in the world.
Kenji
Matsuno, Deputy Managing Director of the partnership of IHI and
Sumitomo Mitsui (Japan), said “Nhat Tan Bridge is highly aesthetic, so
in the past time the construction units have made great efforts to
ensure the progress and quality of the project. With the current
progress, the contractors have pledged to complete and put the bridge
into operation by the end of 2014.
After completion, the Nhat
Tan Bridge will connect downtown Hanoi with the Northern provinces and
industrial parks in North Thang Long, Dong Anh, Co Loa, Gia Lam and Yen
Vien.
In the future, together with this bridge, the Belt Road
No.2 will be completed, thus shortening the route from downtown Hanoi to
Noi Bai International Airport. Nhat Tan Bridge will be the longest
cable-stayed bridge in Viet Nam and will be a focal point in the
landscape architecture of the capital.
Under the introduction
of JICA in Viet Nam we visited the project of Noi Bai International
Airport Terminal 2. This project has a total investment capital of
nearly $900 million, including nearly $700 million from Japan’s ODA. As
designed, Terminal 2 has four floors with a total area of 139,000 m2 and
a capacity of handling 10 million passengers a year.
It is expected that the project will be completed in November 2014 and will reduce the burden of the overloaded Terminal 1.
According
to JICA in Viet Nam, the Japanese Government said that beside ODA,
Japan would provide support and transfer the large project construction
technology to Viet Nam. This is clearly shown at the Nhat Tan Bridge and
Terminal 2 projects where the Vietnamese and Japanese contractors, have
coordinated to build the world’s most advanced construction technology
of traffic projects.
Some people compare the construction of a
traffic infrastructure in Hanoi is like building “a house”, the ODA is a
source of capital for Hanoi to complete the Southern façade of “the
house” with the projects which have operated effectively, such as Belt
Road No.3, and the Northern façade with key projects, such as the Nhat
Tan Bridge and Terminal 2. A system of urban overpasses and the traffic
soft skill support projects are an important part of “the interior” of
the house.
“The traffic house” in Hanoi is being completed
with an important contribution of ODA, especially the Japanese
Government’s ODA for Viet Nam. The appearance of more and more modern
traffic projects in the capital not only confirms that Hanoi has
effectively used the ODA source but it also shows the friendship between
the two strategic partners, Viet Nam and Japan. This is an important
focal point in the celebration of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic
ties between the two countries.
Source: VGP