HCMC – Three Mekong Delta provinces, Vinh Long, Dong Thap and Long An, have been asked to ensure the supply of 19 million cubic meters of sand for two sections of the North-South Expressway project.

The Ministry of Transport has sent this request to the three provinces as the is affecting the construction page of the two sections of the cross-country expressway that will pass through the Mekong Delta, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported.

The first section connects Can Tho City and Hau Giang Province and the second links Hau Giang and Ca Mau provinces, the ministry said.

According to a My Thuan project management board report, these sections need 18.5 million cubic meters of sand for backfilling.

The ministry, therefore, asked the government of Vinh Long to allocate around five million cubic meters of sand to serve the construction of the North-South Expressway in the 2021-2025 period, with about three million cubic meters for 2023 and the rest for 2024.

The governments of Dong Thap and An Giang were requested to provide seven million cubic meters of sand each for the project.

The sand will be taken from their local sand mines, according to the ministry.

The ministry requested the provincial authorities to guide investors and contractors through procedures to open the mines in compliance with the Government’s Resolution 18, which stipulates the implementation of the National Assembly’s Resolution 44 on the development of the North-South expressway in 2021-2025.

Work on the two sections began at the start of this year. The Can Tho-Hau Giang section will cost VND10.3 trillion, while the Hau Giang-Ca Mau section will require VND17.1 trillion.