At noon on January 16, at the An Phu intersection (Thu Duc City), traffic congestion persisted on major roads such as Mai Chi Tho, Luong Dinh Cua, Nguyen Thi Dinh and Dong Van Cong. Container trucks, cars and motorbikes jostled each other, inching forward.
According to records, vehicles traveling on Mai Chi Tho Street, from the direction of the Saigon River Tunnel to Vo Nguyen Giap Street (formerly Hanoi Highway), must pass through three intersections with red light stopping times of over 100 seconds.
At the first intersection of Mai Chi Tho - Dong Van Cong, the waiting time for the red light is up to 124 seconds, while the green light only lasts about 45 seconds.
After passing this intersection, the traffic continued to travel about 30m and then encountered a second red light lasting 122 seconds to give way to vehicles turning right from Dong Van Cong to Mai Chi Tho.
Having just escaped the second red light, vehicles could only go about 150m before having to stop at An Phu intersection, where the red light lasted 116 seconds.
The constant waiting at major intersections makes the area a congestion hotspot, especially during rush hour.
A representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport said that the traffic congestion this afternoon (January 16) did not originate from traffic incidents, but was mainly due to a sudden increase in the number of vehicles.
Vehicles entering and leaving Cat Lai port and traveling on the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay highway increased sharply at the end of the year.
In addition, this area is implementing a three-level intersection project with an investment capital of more than 3,400 billion VND. The construction barriers have significantly narrowed the road surface, reducing traffic capacity.
Despite the regulation of the Traffic Police and flexible adjustment of traffic light times, traffic jams still occur during rush hour.
A representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board said that because it is a key project, the construction process is continuous even during holidays and Tet to ensure the completion of the entire intersection by December 31, 2025.
Currently, the two projects of Ba Dat bridge and Giong Ong To 2 bridge have been completed but not yet put into operation.
To reduce the impact of the barriers, the construction unit widened the sidewalks and reduced the islands to maximize the area for traffic flow.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport said that relevant units have been strengthened to monitor, promptly divert traffic, and flexibly adjust traffic lights (in different scenarios) to avoid prolonged congestion at the An Phu intersection.
