Cần Thơ Bridge

Cần Thơ Bridge, is a cable-stayed bridge over the Hậu River, the largest distributary of the Mekong River, in the city of Cần Thơ in southern Vietnam. The bridge is 2.75 kilometres long . It has a 6-lane carriageway measuring 23 metres in width, with 4 lanes for traffic and two lanes for bicycles and motorbikes. It has a clearance of 39 metres, which allows large ships to pass underneath it. The bridge was inaugurated on April 24, 2010.ConstructionPrime Minister Phan Văn Khải launched construction of the bridge on September 25, 2004, which was scheduled to be completed in late 2008. The collapse of the partially built bridge in 2007 delayed its opening. The bridge is one of seventeen bridges planned to integrate the Mekong Delta into the road network of Vietnam by 2020. The bridge replaced the network of ferries on the National Route 1A linking Vĩnh Long Province on the east shore with Cần Thơ city on the westbank.The construction of the bridge was supervised by the consultant group Nippon Koei-Chodai and contracted to several Japanese contractors: Taisei Corporation, Kajima Construction and Nippon Steel. Capital for the project was funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency with official development assistance loan from the Japan Bank of International Cooperation and the Vietnamese government. Cần Thơ Bridge is insured by the Petrolimex Joint Stock Insurance Company and PetroVietnam Insurance Company for 3.2 trillion Vietnamese đồng (200 million U.S. dollars).