An Expressway Development Strategy for Vietnam
Vietnam's rapid economic growth continues to create new demands for transport infrastructure and services. Bottlenecks to business activities caused by infrastructure constraints are already appearing in several areas. High rates of urbanization, rising traffic accidents, new capacity constraints, and a large increase in asset preservation requirements to meet the fast expansion of transport assets presents further challenges to the sector. To address these infrastructure bottlenecks, and to gradually remove the transport constraints on industry, Vietnam is embarking on an ambitious expressway development program. To date the transport sector has facilitated this growth principally through the rehabilitation and widening of existing arterial roads. The national road network has expanded to 17,000 km, the overall condition has improved with 66 percent of the network being in good and fair condition and 84 percent of the network is now paved. If traffic growth rates continue at their current rate these constraints could adversely impact future economic development. The successful development of an expressway system is a significant physical and financial commitment which will require a number of changes to laws, regulations, institutions and operations of the network.
Summary: | Vietnam's rapid economic growth
continues to create new demands for transport infrastructure
and services. Bottlenecks to business activities caused by
infrastructure constraints are already appearing in several
areas. High rates of urbanization, rising traffic accidents,
new capacity constraints, and a large increase in asset
preservation requirements to meet the fast expansion of
transport assets presents further challenges to the sector.
To address these infrastructure bottlenecks, and to
gradually remove the transport constraints on industry,
Vietnam is embarking on an ambitious expressway development
program. To date the transport sector has facilitated this
growth principally through the rehabilitation and widening
of existing arterial roads. The national road network has
expanded to 17,000 km, the overall condition has improved
with 66 percent of the network being in good and fair
condition and 84 percent of the network is now paved. If
traffic growth rates continue at their current rate these
constraints could adversely impact future economic
development. The successful development of an expressway
system is a significant physical and financial commitment
which will require a number of changes to laws, regulations,
institutions and operations of the network. |
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