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| The view of Kim Long from Da Vien Bridge. Photo by: Bao Chau |
A boost for development
In recent years, both domestic and foreign traffic in Thua Thien Hue has been promoted, meeting the development requirements in the new context.
Many people, especially those in Thuan An Ward (Hue City), are very excited when Phu My - Thuan An, a road nearly 4.2km long, was completed and put into operation nearly a year ago. This is the first movement that local people refer to as the eastern “avenue”, bringing Hue City closer to the sea. The ending point of this “avenue” connects with the over-2.36km-long project of the access road and Thuan An seaport overpass, with a total investment of more than VND 2,400 billion (phase 1), and will be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2025, making trade in Thuan An more convenient and connecting Hue City with coastal areas in the Districts of Phong Dien, Quang Dien, Phu Vang, etc.
Mr. Huynh Van Thong, Vice Chairman of Thuan An Ward People’s Committee, shared that the large construction projects of traffic infrastructure in the locality would create momentum for Thuan An to realize its long-cherished “dream of a coastal city”. When there is a road, the advantageous land fund on both sides will also be formed. Currently, the locality is “cleaning up”, planning and upgrading, as well as renovating roads and new residential areas to attract businesses and investors to develop marine tourism economy.
At the northern gateway, the road of Phong Dien - Dien Loc, with the starting point connecting National Highway 1A through Phong Dien Town and the ending point stretching to Dien Loc Beach (Phong Dien), is 16.5km long with many sections wider than 36m and the total investment capital being more than 671 billion VND. It is in the process of completion, and is expected to completely connect the traffic system from the hilly areas to the plains and coastal areas. This is also the “backbone” axis of Phong Dien, connecting with Cam Lo - La Son expressway via Provincial Road 9, entering Phong Dien Industrial Park and exiting from Ngu Dien cluster. From here, it will connect with the Province’s North - South coastal road, more than 100km long, connecting from Phong Dien to Phu Loc - a place rich in land potential, aquaculture ecosystem, seafood and creating a breakthrough in marine tourism economy.
Mr. Hoang Ngoc Hoa, Deputy Director of the Phong Dien District Investment and Construction Project Management Board, said that Phong Dien had never dreamed of a large road like that of Phong Dien - Dien Loc. But now that dream has come true, the joy and happiness of the local people cannot be described. The opening of the large road brings many new opportunities, and the first thing to do is to welcome investors to Phong Dien Industrial Park, which will also make inter-regional trade easier.
“The opening of the road of Phong Dien - Dien Loc contributes to realizing the “dream” of the town. Currently, local policies and guidelines are no longer orientational, but they awaken the aspiration of Phong Dien to become a dynamic urban area in the north of the province through many specific actions,” affirmed Mr. Hoa.
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| The major roads bringing Hue City towards the sea. Photo by: M. Van |
Not only a breakthrough in the local economy
Recently, at the conference on planning for the North Central and Central Coast regions held in Hue City, many experts said that Thua Thien Hue played an important role in promoting regional connectivity, especially in socio-economic development. Located in the middle of the Central Region, this is the “core” locality that creates momentum for economic growth in tourism and marine economy in the region, in which the transportation system, especially the major roads, play the role of “launching pads”.
That has also been recognized quite early by the provincial leaders, so the province has mobilized many resources to build many major roads to lay the foundation for promoting inter-regional socio-economic development over the past years. Hai Van 2 road tunnel, Terminal T2 of Phu Bai International Airport, La Son - Tuy Loan highway as well as Cam Lo - La Son highway had been completed and come into operation, these have helped Thua Thien Hue connect with the provinces and cities in the Central region faster and closer; and at the same time, contributed to dealing with traffic congestion, traffic accidents, and the need for passenger and cargo transportation in the locality.
Along with the national key traffic projects formed in Thua Thien Hue, a series of major roads, creating inter-regional and inter-district connections in the locality have been successively established, such as Phu Bai - Vinh Thanh road, the western road along Tam Giang Lagoon, Mai - Tan My market road, etc.
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| Many major roads in Phong Dien district having been opened. Photo: M. Van |
At this time, Thua Thien Hue is speeding up the site clearance work in order to build the Ring Road 3, connecting Huong Tra Town, Hue City and Phu Vang, which is more than 6.5km long, 43m wide, with a cost of more than 750 billion VND. When completed, this route will help reduce the traffic load on National Highway 1A through the inner city of Hue City, connect satellite cities, as well as expand the space for land fund development, trade, services, and industry in the localities through which the route passes.
With an implementation cost of VND 1,143 billion, the extension of To Huu route, about 9.5km long from Hue City to Phu Bai Airport (Huong Thuy Town) has also started, which will create many advantageous land funds on both sides to develop urban infrastructure and create a foundation for urban planning of Phu Bai Airport in the coming time.
The leaders of the Provincial Department of Transport acknowledged that for a long time, the lack of synchronous transport infrastructure had been the biggest bottleneck, hindering socio-economic development in the locality in particular and the provinces in the Central Region in general. Therefore, with a series of large transport infrastructure projects that have been implemented, a breakthrough for development is expected to be created for Thua Thien Hue and the entire Central Region, especially when Hue is seizing the opportunity to become a centrally-governed city.