Australian-funded Cao Lanh Bridge inaugurated

Cao Lanh, a cable-stayed bridge funded by the Government of Australia, is open to traffic in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap on May 27 (Photo: VNA)

Cao Lanh, a cable-stayed bridge funded by the Government of Australia, was open to traffic in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap on May 27.

The bridge inauguration ceremony saw the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung and Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop.

Addressing the function, Dung said Cao Lanh Bridge is of great significance to not only Dong Thap but also the entire Mekong Delta.

It will help improve the delta’s competitiveness and at the same time, usher in the possibility to connect the Southwest of Vietnam with other countries in the region, contributing to the local socio-economic development and the improvement of local living standards, he added.

Dung mentioned the new bridge as the symbol of the friendship and strategic partnership between Vietnam and Australia. It also proves Vietnam’s effective use of official development assistance (ODA) of Australia, he added.

He moved on to ask the Ministry of Construction to effectively operate and maintain the bridge and the provincial government to take good care of and create jobs for people affected by the project.

Cao Lanh Bridge spans over the Tien River to connect the provincial capital of Cao Lanh and Lap Vo district. The 2km-long bridge is about 0.8 km from the Cao Lanh ferry terminal and about 35 km from My Thuan Bridge, which links Tien Giang and Vinh Long provinces.

The 24.5m wide bridge sits 37.5 m above the Tien River. It is designed to have four lanes for motorized vehicles to drive at the speed of up to 80km per hour and two others for non-motorised ones.

It is estimated that the bridge will help reduce the travel time from Ho Chi Minh City to the Mekong Delta provinces of Dong Thap, An Giang and Kien Giang by 2 hours. Before the bridge was inaugurated, local people had to take ferry to cross the Tien River.

Cao Lanh Bridge has a total investment of about 7.5 trillion VND (330 million USD), sourced from Australia’s non-refundable aid, the Asia Development Bank’s loan and Vietnam’s corresponding fund.

The construction of the bridge started in October 2013, under the contract between the project’s investor, the Cuu Long Traffic Infrastructure Investment, Development and Management Corporation (the Ministry of Construction), and Chinese Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and the Vinaconex E&C.

VNA