My Thuan bridge gets final link
The last part of the Australian-built My Thuan Bridge over the Tien River in the Mekong Delta was cemented last night, December 16.
The 1,535-m long and 23.6-m wide bridge now links Tien Giang province to the
north with Vinh Long province to the south, at the point 125 km from Ho Chi Minh City.
The construction of My Thuan bridge was started on July 6, 1997 by Baulderstone Hornibrook Engineering of Australia and the Civil Engineering Company No. 6 (Cienco 6) of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. It is expected to be completed in March 2000.
Construction costs were estimated at A$ 90.86 million to which the Australian
Government contributed 66% and the Vietnamese Government, 34%.
The bridge, which has four lanes for vehicles and two lanes for pedestrians, will have used up an estimated 66,000 cubic metres of concrete, more than 16,000 metres of pre-cast piles, 9,000 tonnes of reinforced steel, 710 tonnes of bridge cable, 220 40-metre long T beams and 583 km of cable.
When completed, the My Thuan Bridge will help facilitate transportation on the
stretch of the National Highway 1 linking the Mekong Delta, Vietnam's largest rice granary, with Ho Chi Minh City.
It will also bring socio-economic benefits to more than 15 million people in the delta.
Vietnam News Agency - December 17, 1999.
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