The last spans of the Can Tho Bridge, which will cross the Hau River and connect Can Tho city with Vinh Long province in the Mekong delta, were linked on October 12.

Japanese contractors link the last spans of the Can Tho Bridge in the Mekong Delta, to be opened to traffic at the end of March next year.

Remaining work will be finished early next year, with the bridge open to traffic by the end of March.

Once completed, the bridge will be the country’s longest cable-stayed bridge, with a four-lane carriageway 26-m wide.

Work, however, has been slow on the construction of a 7.69km road section leading to the bridge in Can Tho city, and the five bridges of Cai Tac 1, Cai Da, Cai Nai, Ap My and Cai Rang.

As of October 3, only 75.4 per cent of the work on the approach road for Can Tho Bridge was complete, while the approach road to the bridge in Vinh Long province was nearly finished.

Work on Can Tho Bridge began in September 2004 and was initially scheduled to replace the existing ferry service by the end of 2008.

But an accident in September 2007 resulted in the bridge collapsing, killing 56 workers. Construction was suspended for several months.

Total construction cost is VND4.8 trillion (US$266.5 million). Capital came from an Official Development Assistance loan provided by the Japanese Government and the Viet Nam Government.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News