The Ministry of Transport (MoT) has proposed upgrading a section of National Highway No. 217 crossing north-central Thanh Hoa province with total investment capital of over VND2.1 trillion ($88 million) in response to provincial voters’ recent concerns.

The project is on a list of five national highways MoT proposed be upgraded to improve links with Laos.

Under the MoT proposal, total estimated investment for upgrading the five national highways is estimated at $369 million, including around $292 million to be financed by a loan from the World Bank (WB).

The $292 million will be used for construction, equipment, technical design consultancy, construction design consultancy, and construction supervision consultancy. Nearly $77 million will go to project management, construction investment consultancy, site clearance, taxes, fees, and other expenses.

The renovation and upgrading of the national highways aims to improve transport links and shorten the distance between border gates and seaports, to help cut transport costs, environmental pollution, and traffic accidents, and serve local socio-economic development, MoT said.