New road cuts traffic in central city

16:16' 23/04/2008 (GMT+7)
VietNamNet Bridge – Stretching from the southern tip of Hai Van Pass in Da Nang's Lien Chieu District to Tuy Loan Village along National Highway 1A in Hoa Vang District, the Da Nang Bypass officially opened to traffic last Saturday.
Cars drive along a new section of National Highway 1A that bypasses Da Nang's inner districts.
The new road spans across 18km and over 8 bridges, and is the final step of the first phase of the Da Nang Port Improvement Project.
The Ministry of Transport's Projects Management Unit (PMU) 85 said the bypass should facilitate transportation on the section of the National Highway from Quang Ngai to Quang Tri provinces and enhance Hai Van Tunnel's efficacy while simultaneously minimizing traffic in and out of Da Nang City's inner districts.
"The bypass will play an important role on the highway from Quang Ngai to Da Nang, as well as from Phu Bai (Thua Thien-Hue) and Cam Lo (Quang Tri)," said Nguyen Van Thanh, director of the project's primary contractor, the Civil Engineering Construction Corp. No 6 (Cienco 6).
The Ministry of Transport's figures predict a reduction of 3,000 vehicles per day on the section of National Highway 1A going through Da Nang City's central districts.
The Japanese Government, through the Japan Bank of International Co-operation, funded the project with a VND239bil (nearly US$15mil) loan.
"The completion of the bypass means an accomplishment of an important part of the East West Economic Corridor," according to Kohei Nagai from Japan Port Consultants, the consulting agency for the Da Nang Port Improvement Project.
The East West Economic Corridor, or Trans-Asia Highway, runs through Central Vietnam, the Lao Bao Border Gate in Quang Tri Province, Central Laos, northeastern Thailand, and finally use Andaman Sea in Myanmar.