29-km Khánh Lê pass on the National Highway No 27C connecting Nha Trang and Đà Lạt. A project of building an expressway connecting the two cities is being proposed. — VNA/VNS Photo Đặng Tuấn

Sơn Hải Group Company Limited has asked for approval from Lâm Đồng and Khánh Hoà provinces for the implementation of studies and surveys to develop an expressway project connecting Nha Trang (Khánh Hòa Province) to Đà Lạt (Lâm Đồng Province).

The project will build an 80.8km-long four-lane expressway with an estimated total investment of more than VNĐ25 trillion (US$982.3 million) to shorten the travel time between the two tourism cities by two hours.

Around VNĐ17.54 trillion of capital will come from the State budget while the developer will raise the rest of VNĐ7.4 trillion.

The project is expected to be implemented in 2024-28.

Currently, National Highway No 27C is the only route connecting Nha Trang and Đà Lạt with winding terrain not convenient for vehicles with large tonnage.

The expressway is expected to promote regional tourism as Nha Trang and Đà Lạt are both popular tourist destinations. In addition, it will help improve the connectivity of economic hubs in Central highlands with ports in the South Central coastal region. — VNS