Speeding up the Phase 1 Project of the Nhon Trach District Port Link Road

​(News Portal – Dong Nai) - Nearly 2 years after being approved by the Provincial People's Council for the adjustment of investment policy, the Phase 1 Project of the Nhon Trach District Port Linking Road has yet to obtain investment project approval. 

The Nhon Trach District Port Linking Road will connect the Ong Keo Industrial Park to the entrance of the Viet Thuan Thanh Port. 

Facing Planning Obstacles
The Nhon Trach District Port Linking Road has a length of over 15km, with the starting point connecting to the boundary road of the Ong Keo Industrial Park and the end point connecting to the entrance of the Viet Thuan Thanh Port.

The Nhon Trach District Port Linking Road is a crucial route that will connect the seaport system within the Nhon Trach District. This will enhance the capacity of port operations, stimulate local development, and improve connectivity with other roads in the area, thus enhancing the overall infrastructure of the Nhon Trach District. Additionally, the construction of the port link road is expected to attract investors to the industrial parks in the Nhon Trach District, bringing about rapid and sustainable economic transformation for the locality and the province as a whole.

However, during the project implementation process, it was found that more than 6km of the initial section of the route does not comply with the approved adjustments of the Nhon Trach New Urban Master Plan until 2035 and the vision until 2050 by the Prime Minister (Decision No. 455/QD-TTg). Therefore, the province has decided to implement the project in phases. Accordingly, Phase 1, which is consistent with Decision No. 455, will be prioritized for investment and construction.

In September 2022, the Provincial People's Council passed Resolution No. 26/NQ-HDND on the adjustment of the investment policy for the construction of the Phase 1 Nhon Trach District Port Linking Road. According to the resolution, Phase 1 of the project will have a length of approximately 9km, starting at Ong Mai Creek, Phu Dong commune, and ending at the junction with the Viet Thuan Thanh Port, Phu Huu commune.

However, nearly 2 years after the Provincial People's Council approved the investment policy, the Phase 1 of this project has yet to receive investment project approval.

According to Mr. Nguyen The Phong, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nhon Trach District, there have been issues in preparing the project documentation, particularly in a 600m² area at the intersection with the Cat Lai Bridge, where the land use planning and construction planning are not aligned.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Nguyen, Director of the Department of Planning and Investment, stated that due to the unsatisfactory alignment of the intersection with the existing planning, relevant departments and agencies are awaiting partial adjustments to the overall planning. As a result, the investment project is still pending approval.

Accelerating Capital Disbursement
According to the investment policy adjustment for the Phase 1 of the Nhon Trach District Port Linking Road, the total investment is over 4.1 trillion VND.
The Nhon Trach District Port Linking Road project had been recommended by the province and approved by the central government to be included in the regional project list. Therefore, out of the total investment, 2 trillion VND is allocated as support from the central government, covering the period from 2021 to 2025. However, to date, the allocated and disbursed funds remain relatively low.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Nguyen stated that currently, only around 20 billion VND has been disbursed for the preparation of investment activities in Phase 1 of the Nhon Trach District Port Linking Road. With nearly 1.9 trillion VND remaining, the deadline for fund allocation and disbursement is until the end of 2025. "The difficulty lies in the lack of investment project approval, which prevents fund allocation for the project," Mr. Nguyen explained.

Currently, the partial adjustment of the overall planning for the Nhon Trach New Urban Area has been submitted to the Ministry of Construction for appraisal. According to Mr. Nguyen Huu Nguyen, if the progress of the partial adjustment is completed in the second quarter of 2024, and the Nhon Trach District commits to the timeline for land clearance, Dong Nai Province will be able to complete the capital disbursement of 2 trillion VND by the end of 2025.

During the April 2024 Conference on Key Projects and Works in the province, Mr. Nguyen Hong Linh, Member of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, also urged relevant authorities to expedite the Phase 1 of the Nhon Trach District Port Linking Road project. ​