Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has agreed to add three moreprojects to the list of key transport projects, given their significancefor socio-economic development.

The three projects are: the DeoCa Pass Tunnel (including sub-projects), the Tan Vu – Lach Huyen Highwayand upgrading of the Cho Gao Canal.

Nguyen Hoang, Director ofthe Planning and Investment Department of the Transport Ministry, toldVietnam News that the projects' inclusion in the list will require allagencies concerned to step up efforts to ensure that they are completedon time.

The four-lane Deo Ca Pass Tunnel on National Highway 1,connecting Phu Yen province and Khanh Hoa province in the centralregion, will have a total length of 13.4km.

The project combinesseveral components including the Deo Ca tunnel itself (3.9km), the Co Matunnel (0.5km) and approach roads and bridges (totaling 9km).

The project is slated for completion in late 2016 or early 2017.

The tunnel will shorten the travel distance between either side of theDeo Ca Pass by half and the travel time by one-fourth, projectdocuments say.

The project to build the 15.6km TanVu-Lach Huyen Highway in the northern port city of Hai Phong waslaunched last February. It will run from Cat Hai Island to Hai PhongCity through the Dinh Vu peninsula, and connect the Lach Huyen Port withthe Hanoi – Hai Phong Expressway as well as Highway 5.

The project to upgrade the Cho Gao Cannal in the Mekong Delta bydredging and embanking will run for 28.68km, starting at the Vam CoRiver convergence and ending at the Tien River convergence.

The 2.263 trillion VND (105 million USD) project aims to facilitate rising traffic on the two major rivers.-VNA