Decade-old bridges in Ho Chi Minh City pose many potential risks

Tu su co sap cau Phong Chau (tinh Phu Tho) sau con bao so 3 vua qua, So Giao thong van tai TP.HCM da de nghi UBND quan, huyen, TP Thu Duc va cac don vi thuoc so tang cuong kiem tra dam bao an toan cau, ham duong bo o TP.HCM. Viec nay nham tranh xay ra su co gay thiet hai ve nguoi, tai san trong mua mua bao.

After the collapse of Phong Chau Bridge (Phu Tho Province), the Department of Transport of Ho Chi Minh City has just issued a document requesting units under the department, the People's Committee of Thu Duc City, districts and related units to strengthen inspection and ensure safe operation of bridges, road tunnels and rural traffic bridges in Ho Chi Minh City during the rainy and stormy season.

Theo thong ke cua So GTVT TPHCM, den cuoi nam 2023, toan thanh pho co khoang 200 cay cau phuc vu nguoi dan. Trong do, nhieu cay cau co tuoi tho cao duoc so nay diem danh gom: cau Tan Thuan 1, cau Sai Gon, cau Binh Trieu 1, cau Vam Sat (cu)…Da so nhung cay cau nay duoc xay dung tu truoc nam 1975 va duoc trung tu, sua chua nhieu lan...

According to statistics from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport, by the end of 2023, the entire city will have about 200 bridges serving the people. Among them, many bridges with long lifespans are listed by this department, including: Tan Thuan 1 Bridge, Saigon 1 Bridge, Binh Trieu 1 Bridge, Vam Sat Bridge (old)... Most of these bridges were built before 1975 and have been restored and repaired many times.

Ton tai gan 120 nam, cau Tan Thuan 1 la mot trong nhung cay cau lau doi o TP.HCM den nay van con duoc su dung. Cau dai 241m, be ngang 8m, bac qua kenh Te (mot nhanh cua song Sai Gon)

Tan Thuan 1 Bridge was built during the French colonial period in 1905. Existing for nearly 120 years, this is one of the oldest bridges in Ho Chi Minh City that is still in use today. The bridge is 241m long, 8m wide, spanning the Te Canal (a branch of the Saigon River). After many repairs after showing signs of deterioration, in 2008, the bridge was increased to 30 tons and only allowed one-way traffic from District 7 to District 4.

Hien nay, nhieu doan cau Tan Thuan 1 da xuong cap, gi set, dong nuoc, doan ben thanh cau day dien, day cap duoc cuon lai nhu “mang nhen“, them vao do la nhung hinh ve nguech ngoac lam cho cay cau nay tro nen nhech nhac. Moi ngay cau Tan Thuan 1 van phai ganh hang ngan luot phuong tien qua lai.

Currently, many sections of Tan Thuan 1 Bridge have degraded, rusted, and stagnant water. On the side of the bridge, electric wires and cables are coiled up like “spider webs”. Every day, Tan Thuan 1 Bridge still has to carry thousands of vehicles passing by.

Cau Binh Trieu 1 bac qua song Sai Gon tren tuyen duong quoc lo 13, noi lien quan Binh Thanh va TP Thu Duc. Cau dai 554m, xay dung truoc nam 1975, duoc nang cap mo rong tu 2 thanh 3 lan xe nam 2009. Hien cau cho xe chay mot chieu huong quan Binh Thanh di TP Thu Duc

Similarly, Binh Trieu 1 Bridge crosses the Saigon River on Highway 13, connecting Binh Thanh District and Thu Duc City. The bridge is 554m long, built before 1975, and was upgraded and expanded from 2 to 3 lanes in 2009. However, the clearance of Binh Trieu 1 Bridge is only 5.5m, causing great difficulty in transporting passengers and goods by inland waterway.

Nam 2009, khi cong nhan dang thi cong sua chua cau thi phat hien goi dam cau o nhip giua bi lech khoi vi tri va roi ra. Su co sau do duoc khac phuc nhung do tinh khong thong thuyen thap nen cay cau nay duoc So GTVT de xuat nang tinh khong len 7 m va duoc HDND thanh pho thong qua voi tong kinh phi 133 ti dong. Hai du an nay dang duoc So GTVT trien khai, hoan thanh trong giai doan 2024-2025.

In early December 2023, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport approved the project to raise the clearance of Binh Trieu 1 Bridge on National Highway 13 to a minimum of 7m according to the waterway infrastructure planning. Implementation will take place in the period 2023-2025.

Cau Sai Gon duoc xay dung truoc nam 1975, noi duong Dien Bien Phu (quan Binh Thanh) voi Vo Nguyen Giap (TP Thu Duc). Truoc khi ham vuot song Sai Gon thong xe, cau Sai Gon van la cua ngo chinh de tu cac tinh, thanh pho phia bac vao trung tam TPHCM. Cau Sai Gon dai hon 986m. Nam 2012, cau Sai Gon 2 duoc xay dung song song voi cau Sai Gon cu, nham giam ap luc giao thong o cua ngo phia dong TPHCM.

Saigon Bridge 1 was built before 1975, connecting Dien Bien Phu Street (Binh Thanh District) with Vo Nguyen Giap Street (Thu Duc City). Before the Saigon River Tunnel opened to traffic, Saigon Bridge 1 was still the main gateway from the northern provinces and cities to the center of Ho Chi Minh City. Saigon Bridge 1 is more than 986m long. In 2012, Saigon Bridge 2 was built parallel to the old Saigon Bridge, to reduce traffic pressure at the eastern gateway of Ho Chi Minh City.

Vam Sat 1 Bridge connecting Ly Nhon commune via Rung Sac road to the center of Can Gio district was also built a long time ago and is now degraded with a rather narrow bridge surface, making it very difficult for cars and motorbikes to pass.

Thang 10.2023, Ban quan ly du an dau tu xay dung cac cong trinh giao thong TPHCM (TCIP - chu dau tu) da chinh thuc thong xe cau Vam Sat 2 de giup giam tai ap luc cho cau cu.

In October 2023, the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board (TCIP - investor) officially opened Vam Sat 2 bridge to help reduce pressure on the old bridge.

Tuong tu, cau Rach Dia, Rach Doi, Rach Tom la 3 cay cau sat tren duong Le Van Luong (huyen Nha Be) duoc xay dung tu truoc nam 1975, dang xuong cap vi ganh hang ngan luot phuong tien qua lai moi ngay.

Similar to Rach Doi and Rach Tom bridges, two iron bridges on Le Van Luong Street (Nha Be District) were built before 1975 and are deteriorating due to the thousands of vehicles passing through each day. The Department of Transport plans to rebuild Rach Tom Bridge, with a total cost of about 497 billion VND, expected to start construction in early 2025 and be completed in 2027. Rach Doi Bridge is waiting for the city's master plan to be adjusted, then propose an investment policy, expected to be implemented in the 2026-2030 period.