On October 31, Do Thanh Binh, secretary of the Can Tho Party Committee, and Le Cong Ly, standing vice chairman of the city People’s Committee, held a meeting with contractors and relevant departments about the Chau Doc – Can Tho – Soc Trang expressway project.
The project needs another 4.7 million cubic metres of fill sand
The first phase of the Chau Doc – Can Tho – Soc Trang expressway covers component projects 2, 3 and 4, with a total length of more than 132 km and 11 construction packages. The project is scheduled to run from 2022 to 2027.
According to Can Tho’s urban transport and agricultural construction project management board, component project 2 is more than 65% complete and has disbursed more than 88% of its funds. Project 3 is nearly 64% complete, with disbursement above 36%. Project 4 is nearly 58% complete, with disbursement close to 34%.
The three component projects need about 4.1 million cubic metres of rock. Nearly 1.4 million cubic metres have been stockpiled and used so far. About 11.9 million cubic metres of fill sand have reached the site, but more than 4.7 million cubic metres are still needed.
Component projects 3 and 4 are facing difficulties securing fill sand because some mine-extension and licensing procedures, as well as extraction schedules, are moving slowly.
On component project 4, more than 8.4 km of service roads are heavily flooded because water levels have risen. Vehicles cannot pass, forcing construction to stop and affecting the schedule.
At the meeting, contractors described difficulties with permits, sand and rock extraction, and rising transport and labour costs.
The expressway must be completed and opened for real use
Do Thanh Binh said the Chau Doc – Can Tho – Soc Trang expressway is an important national project that is due to be completed by the end of 2027. However, construction progress has not met the expectations of central authorities or the city. He said contractors that have completed only more than 30% of their work are performing unacceptably.
The remaining problems stem from contractors’ own shortcomings, poor coordination and administrative procedures. Some organisations have limited extraction capacity and have been slow despite instructions and support from local authorities. Do Thanh Binh said the material shortages and delays could have been avoided if the parties had acted more proactively and decisively.
Because of these problems, Can Tho’s authorities have held regular meetings to press for progress and resolve issues. The Party Committee secretary ordered an immediate end to unannounced absences by construction organisations and contractors, as well as the practice of constantly changing meeting representatives.
“If you attend today’s meeting, you must attend the next one too. You cannot send one person today, another tomorrow and a third the day after and expect us to track the work and the city’s instructions,” Do Thanh Binh said.
He ordered the project to accelerate so that progress would exceed 70% and disbursement would reach 100% by December 2026.
The project management board must closely monitor the work and take firm action against contractors that perform poorly. The expressway is a transport corridor, so delays by one participant affect the whole project. The city does not want one contractor to hold back the entire project.
Do Thanh Binh also asked contractors and construction organisations to commit to the schedule and quality. The Chau Doc – Can Tho – Soc Trang expressway is to open for full use by the end of 2027, not merely for a formal opening. He urged the parties to learn from previous projects and avoid a situation in which an expressway opens technically, operates for three or four days, and then closes again so construction can continue.
Sources: Thanh Niên
