The North-South axis upgrade project of Ho Chi Minh City, the section from Nguyen Van Linh Street to Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway, including more than 7km of elevated road, has just been approved by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council in the recent session.
The project has a total investment of VND 9,894 billion, expected to be implemented from 2025-2028. The project plays an important role in connecting the center of Ho Chi Minh City with the South Saigon urban area, Hiep Phuoc port and belt routes.
This is also one of four BOT projects to help solve the problem of traffic congestion in the gateway area of the city.
According to Lao Dong reporters, Nguyen Huu Tho Street currently has four lanes in both directions. People traveling on Nguyen Huu Tho Street often face serious congestion, especially during rush hour.
The main reason is the continuous circulation of large trucks and container trucks, while the road is narrow and the waiting time for traffic lights is long. The Nguyen Huu Tho - Nguyen Van Linh intersection is the most congested hot spot.
Mr. Nguyen Huu Tung, a resident living near the area, said: 'Every day when I come home from work, I have to struggle with traffic jams here. Some days it takes an hour to get home".
Ms. Duong Tuyet Hong (residing in Nha Be district) has a similar experience when traveling on this route. "I often avoid going during rush hour to limit traffic jams, but there are days when there is urgent work, which cannot be avoided, and I have to stand still for several dozen minutes," said Ms. Hong.
According to many people, traffic jams in this area have been going on for many years, most of them hope the road will be expanded soon to make it more convenient for travel.
The project will upgrade and expand the 8.6km long route, including 7.2km of elevated roads with 4 lanes, designed speed of 80km/h. The two parallel roads below are 3 lanes wide on each side, with a maximum speed of 60km/h.
The elevated route will be moved to the left from the center of the planned route, towards Nha Be district to avoid the existing water supply system and create conditions for metro line 4 in the future.
The project will connect Ring Road 2 with Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway (under Ring Road 3) and futurely Ring Road 4, contributing to reducing congestion, traffic accidents and promoting the economy of Ho Chi Minh City as well as the key economic region in the South.
The project also replaces the investment policy for items such as the Nguyen Van Linh - Nguyen Huu Tho intersection and Rach Dia bridge (phase 3).
With a necessary land area of about 66.5 hectares, the project will carry out site clearance of 2.3 hectares from the fourth quarter of 2025 and be completed in 2028.
The total number of affected households is about 98, of which the number of households cleared is about 19 households. The preliminary cost of compensation, support, and resettlement (including reserves) is about 1,346.10 billion VND.
The project applies the BOT form on the existing road, with the difference being that only the main road fee is collected after completion. The parallel road will be free, giving people more travel options and reducing the impact on the area around the project.
