Work on Component Project 3 of the first phase of the Khanh Hoa–Buon Ma Thuot Expressway began in June 2023. Now in its final stage after three years of construction, the project is set to create a vital transport corridor linking the Central Highlands with the south-central coast.
Many sections have already been asphalted, while workers are installing median barriers, guardrails, traffic signs, road markings and protective fencing. Final works on bridges and interchanges are also underway to ensure the project stays on schedule.
Aerial views show the expressway weaving through plantations, reservoirs and villages, reshaping the landscape of the Central Highlands.
According to Dang Tho Dan, Executive Director of Component Project 3, the project has reached nearly 98.2 percent of its contracted workload. The main carriageway has been completed, and contractors are now focusing on traffic safety facilities, frontage roads, access roads and supporting infrastructure.
The project is expected to be completed in August 2026 and opened to traffic the following month.
He said that the expressway is expected to become a major catalyst for regional development. Once operational, it will significantly reduce travel time between Dak Lak and Khanh Hoa provinces, lower logistics costs and improve access for Central Highlands agricultural products, including coffee, durian and pepper, to seaports and major economic centers.
The route is also expected to create new opportunities for industrial, logistics, service and tourism development while strengthening economic links between the Central Highlands and the South-Central coastal region.
>>>Aerial views of Dak Lak's expressway linking the Central Highlands and the coast
The first phase of the Khanh Hoa–Buon Ma Thuot Expressway is a national key infrastructure project stretching approximately 117.5 kilometers, with a total investment of about VND22 trillion (approximately US$840 million). It consists of three component projects.
Component Project 1 spans about 31.5 kilometers in Khanh Hoa Province and is managed by the provincial People's Committee. Component Project 2 is 36.9 kilometers long, crosses Khanh Hoa and Dak Lak provinces, and is managed by the Ministry of Construction. Component Project 3 extends 48.09 kilometers through Dak Lak Province, with an investment of more than VND6.165 trillion (about US$235 million), and is managed by the Dak Lak Provincial Transport and Agricultural Infrastructure Project Management Board.
