HCMC – Hoa Binh Province has broken ground on a 49-kilometer-long road connecting the province with Hanoi City and the Son La expressway, with a total cost of over VND4.1 trillion.

The groundbreaking ceremony, held on February 26, was attended by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the local media reported.

The project comprises two sections, with the first spanning over 31 kilometers from Bo Town to the Hoa Lac-Hoa Binh expressway and the second from Ky Son Ward in Hoa Binh City to the interchange with the Hanoi-Hoa Binh-Son La-Dien Bien expressway.

The first section of the road will cost over VND1.8 trillion and be completed in 2027.

The project is expected to affect 470 households, with 300 of them in need of resettlement.

When in place, the road will shorten the travel time between Hanoi and Hoa Binh Province and boost trade in Ha Nam, Hoa Binh, Phu Tho and Son La provinces.

Speaking at the ceremony, the prime minister told Hoa Binh Province, the investor of the project, and relevant units to carefully reconsider the feasibility of the project. As designed, the first phase of the road has only two lanes but allows a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour.

Besides, work on the first section is set to last five years, leading to cost overruns and wastefulness, the prime minister said, adding that it is necessary to shorten the construction time to three years.