After nearly one year of research, the Ministry of Construction recently submitted a pre-feasibility study report to the Prime Minister for the Hanoi Capital Region Ring Road 5 Investment and Construction Project.

The 321 km long road will begin and end in Yen Bai commune, Hanoi City, traversing seven localities: Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Hung Yen, Hai Phong, Bac Ninh, Thai Nguyen, and Phu Tho. The project is designed with six expressway lanes, with the section through Thai Nguyen having four lanes. Localities will plan parallel roads, green spaces, and sidewalks, ensuring a minimum cross-section width of 120 m, equivalent to ten lanes.

Most of the route, approximately 317 km, will be at ground level, accounting for nearly 99% of its total length. An elevated bridge section, about 3,1 km long, will pass through Ninh Binh province, specifically from National Highway 1 interchange to the Cau Gie - Ninh Binh Expressway interchange.

Consultants assessed that building a viaduct would incur substantial investment costs. The section through Ninh Binh alone would cost approximately VND 8,000 billion more than a ground-level option, without offering significant advantages given that the area is primarily agricultural land.

Hanoi's ring road system. *Graphics: Tien Thanh*

The project is proposed to be divided into 15 component projects. These include seven component projects for land clearance and parallel road construction in the localities, and the remaining eight component projects for the main route. The latter comprises seven projects based on administrative boundaries and one distinct project for a large bridge spanning two localities.

Despite its large scale, the Ministry of Construction aims to substantially complete the project by 2030 and commence operation in 2031.

Regarding investment methods, the project proposes using state budget funds for land clearance, parallel roads, green belts, and sidewalks. These items are challenging to attract non-budget capital.

For the main expressway, the Ministry of Construction explored two options: public-private partnership (PPP) investment or public investment combined with road usage tolls. After evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of each, the Ministry of Construction proposed selecting the public investment option.

Under this approach, the state will allocate budget capital to construct the entire Ring Road 5. Upon completion, a road usage toll of approximately VND 1,300 per km will be applied.

According to the Ministry of Construction, the primary benefit of public investment is the ability to implement the entire route synchronously, enhancing operational efficiency. Applying lower fees compared to the PPP option helps alleviate traffic pressure on urban areas and local road networks. This also mitigates negative impacts on investment attraction and the development of industry, urban areas, services along the Ring Road 5 corridor.

Calculations indicate that if operated under this plan, Ring Road 5 could generate approximately VND 25,710 billion in tolls after ten years of operation and around VND 103,170 billion after 20 years.

Hanoi Capital Region Ring Road 5 will connect six radial expressways: Hanoi - Lao Cai, Hanoi - Thai Nguyen, Hanoi - Hai Phong, Hanoi - Lang Son, Phap Van - Cau Gie - Ninh Binh, and Hanoi - Hoa Binh. It will also link national highway systems, seaports, airports, and northern logistics centers.

Beyond its transportation function, Ring Road 5 is expected to become a new development axis. It will help reorganize the spatial development of the Capital Region, an area experiencing rapid urbanization, industrialization, and growth in services and logistics.

Anh Duy