From around 8 a.m., traffic began building up on Truong Chinh Street in the direction from An Suong toward Cong Hoa and the Ba Queo intersection.

Construction barriers for the underground Pham Van Bach station significantly narrowed the roadway, leaving cars and motorbikes packed together and moving only slowly.

The worst congestion stretched from Pham Van Bach Street to the Cong Hoa intersection, where long lines of vehicles were reduced to crawling forward meter by meter.

At the Truong Chinh-Pham Van Bach intersection, cars and motorbikes crowded into the remaining road space. The route is one of the main arteries connecting Ho Chi Minh City’s northwestern gateway with the city center and normally carries heavy traffic. 

Commuters struggled through dense traffic around the underground metro station construction zone.

Along Truong Chinh Street, authorities installed notices detailing traffic changes, directions and recommendations for people traveling from An Suong to consider alternative routes.

The measures came as Ho Chi Minh City began partially closing sections of Truong Chinh, Tan Ky Tan Quy and Huynh Van Gam streets on Sept. 16 for construction of the ST9 underground station, also known as Ba Queo Station, on Metro Line 2.

The roadway on Truong Chinh Street around the Ba Queo underground station was significantly narrowed after construction barriers were installed.

With advance notice of the traffic diversions, many commuters opted for alternative routes to avoid the bottleneck between the Cong Hoa intersection and Tan Ky Tan Quy Street.

The Truong Chinh-Tan Ky Tan Quy intersection, however, did not experience serious congestion.

Authorities have banned cars from traveling on Tan Ky Tan Quy Street in the direction from Cong Hoa toward Le Trong Tan.

Cars are also prohibited from traveling along Huynh Van Gam Street from Tan Ky Tan Quy toward Ho Dac Di Street.

Under the traffic management plan prepared by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction, other major streets, including Cach Mang Thang Tam and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, will also be partially fenced off, converted to one-way traffic in some sections or subject to vehicle restrictions to accommodate construction of the Ben Thanh-Tham Luong metro line.

For the Tao Dan underground station, designated ST2, authorities have approved a phased construction plan consisting of five stages and lasting more than three years.

During that period, contractors will progressively fence off sections of the construction area, open temporary roads and repeatedly adjust traffic arrangements around the site as work advances.

Tuan Kiet