Construction begins on country's longest suspension bridge

Hanoi (VNA) - Construction on the on-ramps for the Nhat Tan suspension bridge
spanning the Red River began in the outskirts of Hanoi 's Dong Anh district
on March 7.

According to Minister of Transport Ho Nghia Dung, the bridge, once completed, will
be the longest of its kind anywhere in the country.

Addressing the ground-breaking ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung
said the bridge is considered essential to the capital city's infrastructure
development.

The bridge will link the city centre with industrial zones (IZ) in the north,
including the North Thang Long-Van Tri, Dong Anh-Co Loa, and Gia Lam-Sai Dong-Yen
Vien IZs.

It will also complete the second belt road and shorten travel time from the city
centre to Noi Bai International Airport .

Deputy PM Hung asked that the project be accelerated for completion in late 2010
to mark the city's millennium anniversary.

The Nhat Tan bridge project spans nearly 9km, including the 3.7km bridge crossing
the Red River . The bridge will be 33.2m wide and divided into four lanes for
vehicles, two for buses and two for pedestrians.

The total cost for the project is estimated at 13.6 trillion VND, sourced from
loans from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and contributions
from the Vietnamese government.

The on-ramps are scheduled for completion in 34 months, two other related
construction contracts are in the process of inviting bids.-Enditem