Accelerating Toward the Finish Line for Au Co Road Renovation, Strengthening, and Upgrade Project

Following a period of implementation, the Au Co Road Renovation, Strengthening, and Upgrade Project is entering its final sprint phase. With approximately 93% of work volume completed, the developer, contractors, and local authorities are concentrating on resolving remaining site clearance and resettlement bottlenecks while accelerating construction on cleared land sections, striving to complete and commission the entire route before December 31, 2026.

The Au Co Road Renovation, Strengthening, and Upgrade Project is developed by the Phu Tho Regional Project Management Board, carrying a total investment capital of nearly VND 1,500 billion with a total length of 40.58 km traversing various wards and communes across the province. This is a key transport infrastructure project that serves both to reinforce the right dike along the Lo River and establish a vital transport connecting axis, alleviating congestion on National Highway 2, expanding urban and industrial development spaces, and generating additional momentum for local socio-economic growth.

Construction units concentrate resources and capitalize on favorable weather to accelerate construction progress.

Throughout execution, the project has received active involvement from all administrative levels, sectors, localities, the developer, and construction units. To date, executed volume has reached approximately 93%, and cleared site area serving construction has reached around 95%. However, roughly 1.5 km of unhanded-over land sites remains a bottleneck impacting the project’s completion timeline.

According to the Phu Tho Regional Project Management Board, remaining bottlenecks are concentrated across Binh Phu, Dan Chu, Phu Ninh, Phu My, and Chan Mong communes, primarily relating to compensation for residential land, garden land, agricultural land acquisition, and resettlement arrangements. Facing the requirement to complete the project in 2026, units are focusing on reviewing individual cases, assigning clear responsibilities, and stepping up propaganda, mobilization, and direct dialogue with citizens to build consensus during implementation.

Dan Chu Commune decisively resolves difficulties to hand over construction sites to contractor units.

In Dan Chu Commune, the section of Au Co Road passing through the area stretches 6.58 km, impacting 625 households. To date, the locality has handed over 6.13 km of land sites, with 0.45 km undergoing continued resolution. Although remaining portions are not extensive in length, they involve specific individual cases, requiring departments, units, and grassroots authorities to demonstrate persistent mobilization while strictly following regulatory sequences and procedures.

In the Trai Ga area, the household of Mr. Tran Trung Dung in Trieu Village owns a 111 m2 residential land plot, of which 88.4 m2 is subject to acquisition, leaving 22.6 m2. The family requested on-site resettlement or compensation in the form of a 300 m2 residential plot. To resolve this, working teams are coordinating with the Phu Ninh Regional Land Fund Development Center Branch and the Phu Tho Regional Project Management Board to conduct inventory and separation of architectural structures located within transport safety corridors versus those on residential land; while continuing propaganda and mobilization for the family to accept resettlement in the Trai Ga area under a 200 m2 residential plot allocation plan.

In the Dinh Binh resettlement area, several cases remain obstructed regarding land-attached assets. Functional agencies are reviewing, finalizing dossiers, and checking legal procedures to execute next regulatory steps if households do not agree to hand over land; while continuing to capture public thoughts and aspirations to mobilize and explain, minimizing complex developments.

Comrade Le Phuc Tuat, Vice Chairman of the Dan Chu Commune People’s Committee, shared: “The site clearance process constantly gives rise to specific issues closely tied to the rights, assets, and livelihoods of individual households. Therefore, alongside strict compliance with regulations, local authorities identify propaganda, mobilization, and direct dialogue as crucial solutions to help citizens clearly understand the project’s goals and significance, thereby reaching consensus to hand over land sites.”

While local authorities focus on resolving final bottlenecks, on the construction site, contractors are instructed to maximize available cleared sites to accelerate progress. Route sections satisfying construction conditions are deployed immediately, mobilizing workforce, machinery, and equipment to prevent idle waiting periods for land or work. This approach aims to capitalize on time, shorten construction schedules, and create synchronization between site clearance and project construction.

To guarantee the project reaches the finish line on schedule, the Phu Tho Regional Project Management Board continues to coordinate closely with localities and specialized agencies to promote propaganda, mobilization, and direct dialogue with citizens; while urgently completing compensation, support, and resettlement procedures, definitively resolving emerging bottlenecks in accordance with regulations.

For sections with clean, handed-over sites, the developer requires contractors to mobilize maximum workforce, machinery, and equipment to organize continuous, scientific construction without idle waiting for land or tasks. Combined with intensified inspection, urging, and close tracking of progress across each package and route section, the Phu Tho Regional Project Management Board is determined to coordinate synchronously with involved parties, maximizing remaining time to strive to complete the entire project and bring the route into operation in 2026.

Le Oanh