Works on the VND12 trillion ($526 million) expressway is 90 percent complete, said Nguyen Quang Vinh, head of the management board of Bac Giang – Lang Son BOT JSC which is executing the build-operate-transfer (BOT) project.

"Minimum works required to open the expressway to traffic will be completed before September 30, three months ahead of schedule," Vinh said, but did not comment on when the project will be finished in its entirety. The project was originally scheduled to complete this December.

Currently, works on the foundation, road surface, and drainage systems of some sections are still ongoing, but operators will focus on finishing laying asphalt on the whole expressway by September 15, Vinh added.

The expressway connecting Bac Giang, a province to the north-east of Hanoi, with the northern province of Lang Son is expected to enhance trade between Vietnam and China.

The four-lane expressway is 64 kilometers long, 25 meters wide, has a designed speed of 100 km per hour, and runs parallel to a strip on the existing National Highway 1A (Vietnam’s 2,300 km transnational highway) which connects the two provinces. 

This route will collect toll for 17 years, 2020-2037.

Work on the expressway started in October 2015 and was scheduled for completion last year. However, the Ministry of Transport had to select a new investor for the project after the original one ran out of capital.

The Bac Giang – Lang Son expressway is part of the 143 km Hanoi – Lang Son expressway, connecting the capital with the Huu Nghi International Border Gate in Lang Son Province.