Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked relevant ministries and agencies to urgently build a set of standards for expressways and take measures to ensure progress and quality in transport projects.

He said the issuance of standards on the construction of expressways is needed to serve as a foundation for the planning, design, investment, and management of the expressway network.

They would also be used to define investment and mobilize capital for expressways, to ensure transparency and efficiency and prevent waste and corruption, he said.

Such standards need to be based on international experience, practical experience from the construction of recent expressway projects, actual conditions in Vietnam, and opinions from experts, scientists, and relevant ministries, agencies, sectors, and localities.

These standards are needed to help optimize investment efficiency in expressway projects and create new development space and growth drivers for socio-economic development of localities and regions, the Prime Minister said.

In a new circular, he also asked relevant ministries and agencies to study the use of sea sand for leveling ground in infrastructure projects such as expressways, highways, industrial parks, and urban areas, to ensure the supply of construction materials and boost construction progress.

The total length of expressways around Vietnam currently stands at 1,822 km.