The Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) is studying a plan to mobilize capital and determine the investment form to expand the Yen Bai - Lao Cai section of the Noi Bai - Lao Cai Expressway, according to the Ministry of Transport (MoT).

The Expressway connects Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport with the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai on the Chinese border.

In the ten years since the 264-km Noi Bai - Lao Cai Expressway was put into operation, vehicle numbers have continually been on the rise and expansions to the Yen Bai - Lao Cai section have become a pressing need, the MoT said.

The VEC recently sought the ministry’s permission to invest in expanding the 83-km section, from two lanes to four lanes with a roadbed width of 24 meters, which would allow a speed limit of 100 km/h.

Total investment is estimated at VND8.74 trillion ($367 million), with VND5.66 trillion ($237.8 million) to go to the expansion and the remainder to fixing the road surface and building three bridges on the Noi Bai-Yen Bai section.