Da Nang begins pre-feasibility study for $379mn airport tunnel project

The city's project management board for transport and agricultural infrastructure recently opened bidding for a consultancy package to develop the pre-feasibility report. 

The consultancy contract, valued at over VND3.8 billion ($144,235), will be executed under a lump-sum agreement over a 118-day period.

This step marks Da Nang's first concrete move toward realizing the tunnel project, which aims to ease traffic congestion and support the city's broader urban development goals.

If approved, the tunnel would link key roads such as Nguyen Van Linh, Nguyen Tri Phuong, and Duy Tan with the airport's western area and National Highway 1. 

The new route is expected to reduce travel times and alleviate congestion at major intersections, improving overall traffic flow throughout the central coastal city.

According to the Da Nang Department of Construction, the tunnel will feature both open and closed segments constructed using the cut-and-cover method for areas outside the airport's active runway. 

For the section beneath the runway, two advanced construction techniques are under consideration: the Pipe Roof method and the Tunnel Boring Machine method.

A preliminary proposal submitted in the first quarter of 2025 details a tunnel route over 2.9 kilometers long. 

It would include two open-cut sections totaling 570 meters, three box-tunnel sections totaling 1,450 meters, and a 900-meter segment running directly beneath the active runway.

Officials consider the tunnel a strategic infrastructure investment that could reshape connectivity within Da Nang, positioning the city as a model for modern urban transit in Vietnam.

Two design options have been proposed: a combined tunnel for both a mass rapid transport (MRT) line and road traffic or separate tunnels for the MRT and road traffic.