Saturday, February 27, 2010

South coast corridor to boost regional sea-borne economy

27/02/2010

The Ministry of Transport has approved a project on the construction of a 220-km corridor to connect the south coastal areas of Ca Mau and Kien Giang provinces with Cambodia and Thailand.

The corridor, which is expected to begin next month in the Mekong Delta, has a total investment of US$440 million, US$75 million of which comes from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The Australian government will provide US$25 million in non-refundable aid, and the Republic of Korea will provide a preferential loan of more than US$246 million.

The corridor, which reaches from the Ha Tien border gate in Kien Giang province to the Nam Can marine economic zone in Ca Mau province, will be conducted in two phases.

Phase I, including construction of a road section from Rach Gia to Ca Mau cities, is scheduled to finish in late 2013 at a cost of US$390 million.

Phase II will cover construction of road sections in Kien Luong, Hon Dat and Soc Son towns and expansion of National Highway 80 Rach Gia-Kien Giang section.

The corridor will help promote the development of the marine based economy and reduce poverty, particularly in coastal areas on the Ca Mau peninsula.

The Kien Giang provincial People’s Committee has invested in building industrial zones and trade centres along the corridor, awaiting opportunities for development, say the provincial authorities.

VOVNews/VNA

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