Risk of unsafety due to slow construction and rows of power poles in the middle of the road
Started in April 2025, the Nguyen Thi Dinh road expansion project is expected to improve the infrastructure of the eastern gateway of Ho Chi Minh City. However, after more than 1 year of construction, the road is still in a state of "one side is spacious, one side is messy".
One side of the road has been paved with asphalt and sidewalks; the opposite side is bumpy with soil and rocks, mud. Worryingly, many old power poles have not been relocated, lying in the middle of the newly expanded road. At night, when the lighting system is not completed, these power poles become a risk of unsafety for traffic participants.
Mr. Ngo Thanh Thai (70 years old, residing in Binh Trung ward), a household with a frontage house directly affected on Nguyen Thi Dinh street, shared: "My family has lived here for several decades, before, business and clothing were very stable. Since the road was built, water has flooded deep into my house, forcing me to close completely and not be able to do anything. My family's economy has been affected.
According to Mr. Thai, this road leads to a high school. If the clearance, culvert construction and asphalt paving are not completed soon, thousands of students may have to go to school in the mud and flooded when the new school year is approaching.
I hope the local authorities will soon remove site obstacles so that the construction unit can complete the drainage system, asphalt the entire route, and restore a safe living environment for people" - Mr. Thai proposed.
Regularly traveling on Nguyen Thi Dinh street to deliver goods, Mr. Lam Huu Long (resident of Binh Trung ward) informed that the road is basically almost completed, but the relocation of the power pole has not been completed yet. "During the day it is still easy to observe to avoid, but in the evening the light is limited, traffic participants are easily collided with the power pole" - Mr. Long said and hoped that it would be resolved soon so that the road is clear and safe.
Efforts to remove site obstacles to promptly open traffic
Before the people's reflections, representatives of the Cat Lai Ward Construction Investment Project Management Board as the investor said that the project has now reached about more than 70% of the volume.
Contractors are closely following the plan, but site clearance obstacles prevent the project from being able to be constructed simultaneously. According to the investor, the slow relocation of the power system is mainly due to difficulties in compensation, site handover and technical infrastructure relocation procedures.
Currently, relevant units are coordinating with localities to accelerate the handover of the site, complete procedures, and soon relocate about 200 remaining power poles. To ensure safety for people while waiting for relocation, the construction unit has proceeded to cover the entire power pole with reflective light in the construction area and installed a fluorescent system to provide remote warning to pedestrians.
The Nguyen Thi Dinh road expansion project, the section from Giong Ong To bridge to My Thuy bridge, is about 2km long, upgraded from an existing road surface of 7-8m wide to 30m wide with a scale of 6 lanes, with a total investment of more than 2,000 billion VND.
This is one of the key transport projects to reduce congestion in the eastern gateway area of Ho Chi Minh City, especially the axis connecting to Cat Lai port and My Thuy intersection. According to the overall plan, the project is expected to be completed in mid-2026, but the actual progress still largely depends on the relocation of technical infrastructure, especially the power system along the route. When officially put into operation, the project is expected to contribute to strongly improving the traffic situation in the area, creating motivation to promote local socio-economic development.
