VietNamNet Bridge – Since early this year, the HCMC Department of Transport has allocated capital for slow-moving projects to accelerate their progress.

A view of Tan Son Nhat-Binh Loi-outer ring road, now called Pham Van Dong Street. This road is one of the key infrastructure projects to be finished late this year

Tan Son Nhat-Binh Loi-outer ring road, now called Pham Van Dong Street, is one of the projects to be finished late this year. The road, which has been partially opened to traffic, is the widest urban street in HCMC with 6-12 lanes and is 13.7 kilometers long.

Pham Van Dong Street starts at Truong Son intersection near Tan Son Nhat Airport, runs to Nguyen Thai Son intersection in Go Vap District, crosses the Saigon River and ends at Linh Xuan intersection in Thu Duc District. The project costing US$340 million is executed by South Korea’s GS Group under the build-transfer (BT) format.

This is a major route of the city, accounting for around 40% of the traffic volume from Binh Duong Province to downtown HCMC, according to the transport department. Therefore, traffic congestion in front of Mien Dong coach station and at the crossroads between Dinh Bo Linh and Bach Dang streets can be eased.

After completion, Pham Van Dong Street will connect HCMC with satellite urban areas and neighboring provinces like Binh Duong and Dong Nai. The project’s second phase starting from Binh Trieu to Linh Xuan intersections will be finished late this year.

Two other major projects currently under construction and lying in the city’s western gateway are the expansions of Provincial Road 10 and Provincial Road 10B. Having fallen behind schedule for years, the two projects are set for completion late this year.

The Provincial Road 10 expansion project starts from Tan Tao Bridge in Binh Chanh District to Xang Bridge near Long An Province with a length of over eight kilometers.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Road 10B project which is nearly six kilometers long starts from Ten Lua Street in Binh Tan District and connects to Provincial Road 10 to form an axis route linking HCMC with Long An as well as other southwestern provinces. It also connects industrial parks in Long An with Le Minh Xuan and Tan Tao industrial parks and residential areas in HCMC’s Binh Chanh and Binh Tan districts.

Bui Xuan Cuong, deputy director of the HCMC Department of Transport, said that these two projects are prioritized in capital allocation and site clearance so that they can be completed this year to deal with heavy traffic in National Highway 1A’s section in Binh Chanh District and shorten the goods transport duration among industrial parks in the area.

The expansion project of Pham Van Bach Street connecting Truong Chinh Street in Tan Binh District with Quang Trung Street in Go Vap District stretching 5.7 kilometers is also scheduled for completion in December.

In addition to the aforementioned projects, there are many projects of smaller scale but of importance like the upgrade of Hanoi Highway’s 1.8-kilometer section in front of the Vietnam National University-HCMC in Thu Duc District. Two roads running in parallel with the highway’s section will be finished this December to ease congestion near Suoi Tien Theme Park and the university.

Kinh Bridge, only 700 meters in length, is also vital as it is the only bridge connecting the city downtown and Thanh Da Peninsula. Under the planning, the peninsula will become a tourist destination and thus the bridge, when completed, will help boost the city’s tourism.

Other small projects expected to be finished in the coming months in HCMC include the road connecting Thai Van Lung Street with Ton Duc Thang Street in District 1, and the upgrade of National Highway 50 and ten bridges in Cu Chi District.

SGT/VNN