Phuong Thanh Investment and Transport Construction Joint Stock Company has proposed a significant expansion of the Phap Van - Cau Gie expressway, a nearly 30 km stretch in Hanoi from the Phap Van interchange to the Dai Xuyen interchange. The proposal, submitted to the Ministry of Construction, aims to increase the expressway's capacity from six to 10-12 lanes, including the construction of new elevated sections.

The plan details a phased expansion. The section from Phap Van to Ring Road 4 is slated for widening from 6 to 12 lanes. This includes a 6-lane elevated road in the median for the first 1,5 km. Further along, from Km182+400 to Ring Road 4, two additional elevated roads, each three lanes wide, will be constructed alongside the existing expressway.

For the segment extending from Ring Road 4 to Cau Gie, the expressway is proposed to expand from 6 to 10 lanes. This will involve building two two-lane viaducts on either side of the current route between Ring Road 4 and the Thuong Tin interchange. From Thuong Tin to Cau Gie, the existing roadbed will be widened on both sides, adding two lanes to each direction.

The expanded route is expected to feature 9 interchanges, with seven receiving investment as part of this project, and the remaining two to be developed under separate initiatives. The preliminary total investment for this ambitious project is approximately 25,101 billion VND. This figure includes over 1,700 billion VND for site clearance and over 16,900 billion VND for construction and equipment; the remainder is allocated for contingencies, loan interest, and other costs.

Phap Van - Cau Gie expressway easily gets congested during peak seasons. Photo: Ngoc Thanh.

Phap Van - Cau Gie expressway easily gets congested during peak seasons. Photo: Ngoc Thanh.

Phuong Thanh Company proposes implementing the project through a public-private partnership (PPP) model. Under this scheme, State capital would contribute approximately 16,120 billion VND, accounting for 64% of the total investment. The estimated toll collection period for recovering this capital is projected to be 21-22 years. The company also explored an alternative where State capital would be capped at 50% (approximately 12,550 billion VND), but this option was deemed financially unviable for the project.

The necessity for expansion stems from increasing traffic volume and Hanoi's broader infrastructure development. The Phap Van - Cau Gie expressway, currently with six lanes and parallel service roads, has seen an average annual traffic increase of 6% since its operation. This surge leads to significant congestion on weekends and holidays. The expansion aligns with Hanoi's ongoing large transport infrastructure projects, notably the planned 90 m wide, 16-lane spatial axis for National Highway 1A, addressing future transport demand.

Anh Duy