HCMC – The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre plans to build a 53-kilometer-long coastal road this year at a total estimated investment cost of VND13 trillion, reported the local media.

Cao Duc Minh, director of the Ben Tre Department of Transport, unveiled the plan yesterday, January 19, saying the coastal road will cross three big rivers namely Tien, Ham Luong and Co Chien, which connect the three provinces of Ben Tre, Tien Giang and Tra Vinh.

The road will start at the intersection with provincial road 877B in Phu Dong Commune, Tan Phu Dong District, Tien Giang Province, and end at Thanh Phu bridge, Long Hoa Commune, Chau Thanh District, Tra Vinh Province.

The funding for the project will be sourced from official development assistance (ODA) programs for the Mekong Delta’s sustainable development and the provincial budget.

In the first phase of the project, from now to 2025, a two-lane road, plus 13 bridges along the way, will be built at a total cost of VND13 trillion. After 2025, the project will need an extra VND15.5 trillion to expand the width of the road from 12 meters to 100 meters in urban areas and 46 meters in suburban areas.

Ben Tre’s coastal road is part of a bigger plan to build a 740-kilometer-long coastal road connecting HCMC and Ha Tien Province and passing through seven Mekong Delta provinces, namely Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau and Kien Giang.

When opened to traffic, the coastal road will shorten the travel distance between the Mekong Delta’s provinces and HCMC and help reduce traffic congestion and accidents on National Highways 1A and 50.