The Ministry of Transport has proposed that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment allocate 10 million cu m of sand for leveling in the construction of the Can Tho - Hau Giang and Hau Giang - Ca Mau Expressways in the Mekong Delta to ensure project progress.

The total volume of sand needed in the two sub-projects of the North-South Expressway is estimated at over 18 million cu m, including more than 9 million cu m for 2023.

Construction of the two sub-projects began on January 1 this year but investors have failed to find sufficient sources of sand for levelling.

The two four-lane sections running from Can Tho city to the southernmost province of Ca Mau have a combined length of nearly 110 km, with total investment estimated at more than VND27.25 trillion ($1.16 billion).

Amid a shortage of materials for leveling in transport projects, the Ministry of Transport has allowed investors in four expressway projects in the Mekong Delta region to use sand from the sea on a trial basis.