Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has been supporting Vietnam in two consecutive Projects in rehabilitating and reconstructing deteriorated bridges on national roads nationwide: "The Transport Sector Loan for National Road Improvement Project" and "The Second Transport Sector Loan for National Road Improvement Project".
Background and Necessity
Vietnam's domestic traffic has relied greatly on road system. In recent years, road traffic has significantly increased particularly on national roads/highways, which connect big cities and provincial cities. Many of the roads and bridges need to be widened, renovated and repaved, not only because they have not fully been maintained and repaired over the years, but also there has been a rapid increase in traffic and heavy vehicles.
Aging and deteriorated bridges on national roads and provincial roads have become traffic bottlenecks, hindering the development of logistics networks. They have become an issue in promoting industrial development and foreign investment. Besides, in provincial areas, traffic on those bridges is often blocked by damages due to inundation and floods in the rainy season, causing lots of difficulties to the lives of local people. There is an immediate urgency in rehabilitating or reconstructing deteriorated bridges on national roads and provincial roads in order to increase traffic safety and improve connectivity within ASEAN and the Mekong region.
Objective and Summary
The two Projects aim to improve the national road network, to strengthen transport capacity, and to improve traffic safety by replacing or reconstructing deteriorated bridges, thereby increasing the connectivity of logistics networks in ASEAN and the Mekong region, contributing to social economic development in urban and rural areas.
"The Transport Sector Loan for National Road Improvement Project" started in 2004 and constructed a total of 144 bridges in two phases. Meanwhile, "The Second Transport Sector Loan for National Road Improvement Project" began in 2013 and is aiming at building 76 bridges.
Candidate bridges have been selected based on their economic values. Factors such as traffic volume and road importance, as well as the impact on regional economic development have also been considered. Priority is determined by technical requirements and urgency including load limits, road width and construction date.
Executing Agency
Ministry of Transport
Address: 80 Tran Hung Dao, Ha Noi
TEL: (04) 38224464 Fax: (04) 38221066
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