With its efforts to strengthen direction and administration and focus investment resources on synchronous modern transport infrastructure, the transport sector of Thua Thien Hue province has achieved important results to help achieve socioeconomic development goals. Our reporter has an interview with Mr. Le Anh Tuan, Director of the Department of Transport, Thua Thien Hue province.
Could you please tell us about recent remarkable activities of the transport sector of Thua Thien Hue province?
Currently, the Department of Transport of Thua Thien Hue province is managing 624km of provincial roads, 105km of National Highway 49B entrusted by the central Government, 338.45km of inland waterways out of a total of 560km of waterways across the province (153.6km of national inland waterways and 184.85km of local inland waterways), and 106 cargo and passenger ports. Besides, the department was assigned by the Provincial People's Committee to manage 35km of National Highway 1 under the National Highway 1 Expansion BOT Project.
In recent times, despite many difficulties and challenges, the transport sector has effectively maintained provincial roads, authorized national highways and inland waterways, so roads and inland waterways always ensure safety, convenience and smoothness to serve people's travelling needs well and support realizing socioeconomic development goals. Currently, the transport network has been constructed and developed as planned to form a synchronous transport system.
To enhance its transport sector management, the department has directed relevant units to perform their tasks within their jurisdiction well. Specifically, it actively coordinated in accelerating the construction of key and lifeline infrastructure projects in the province, completed and operated projects on schedule to ensure their efficiency; proposed and adopted practical solutions in transportation management to reduce the time of travelling and freight transportation for investors and businesses. The Department of Transport worked with competent agencies and localities to actively advise the Provincial People's Committee to develop a comprehensive, synchronous transport system development plan; maintained and repaired transport works and improved the efficiency of the traffic infrastructure system; regularly inspected and urged road management units to implement bridge and road maintenance and repair plans.
Thua Thien Hue province is making efforts to develop a synchronous, modern, and harmoniously connected transport system with many impactful transport projects. Would you be kind enough to tell us more about this?
Thua Thien Hue province issued Plan 460 on implementing Conclusion 445 dated May 13, 2022 of the Provincial Party Committee on building a synchronous infrastructure system to 2025, with an eye to 2030. Regarding transport infrastructure development, the province will focus on prioritizing investment resources for complete, synchronous modern transport infrastructure, especially urban transport systems and interregional connections, to create new development spaces and support sustainable socioeconomic development.
Some key projects were pressed for quicker progress, including expanded Phuoc Tuong - Phu Gia Tunnel, National Highways 49A and 49B, Cam Lo - La Son Expressway, expanded passenger terminal of Phu Bai International Airport, designed to increase the capacity of the airport to 9 million passengers a year. The province also continued to invest in transport systems to urban areas to create motivations and boost socioeconomic development such as coastal roads and bridges across Thuan An Estuary, extended To Huu Road to Phu Bai Airport.
What are the top goals that the transport sector will focus in the coming time?
In the future, based on its central tasks assigned by the province, the transport sector will closely follow its programs and plans to keep the progress as scheduled and increase investment capital for transport infrastructure system development. For public investment projects, the sector will actively remove difficulties, speed up construction progress, disburse investment capital as planned, propose and recommend all-level leaders on solutions to clear existing obstacles for key, breakthrough projects in order to accelerate the progress to bring them into operation soon to better serve socioeconomic development and ensure national security and defense.
The sector will intensify inspections to ensure traffic order and safety, manage road safety corridors, maintain, repair and operate existing traffic infrastructure effectively; ensure stable transport operations and improve service quality to meet the increasing needs of the people.
The sector will effectively carry out digital transformation programs and information technology applications in transportation in 2024 and beyond, enhance scientific and technological application, administrative reform, and the provision of Level 4 services in changing driver's licenses issued by the Department of Transport.
Thank you very much!
By Manh Dung, Vietnam Business Forum