Plan to build elevated roads at gateways
The Department of Transport of Ho Chi Minh City has just agreed with the Department of Planning and Architecture on updating 5 BOT (build-operate-transfer) projects on existing routes into the main urban elevated road system. This is the traffic component in the project to adjust the general planning of Ho Chi Minh City.
The 5 projects include: Upgrading National Highway 13 (from Binh Trieu Bridge to Binh Duong Provincial Border), expanding National Highway 1 (from Kinh Duong Vuong Street to Long An Provincial Border), renovating National Highway 22 (from An Suong Intersection to Ring Road 3), upgrading the North-South axis road (from Nguyen Van Linh Street to Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway) and building Binh Tien Bridge and Road (from Pham Van Chi Street to Nguyen Van Linh Street).
These projects, initially planned to only widen the road surface to reduce traffic congestion, have now been recalculated, considering the option of building an elevated road.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport is urgently completing the pre-feasibility study report and submitting it to competent authorities for approval in 2024.
In addition to the 5 projects mentioned above, the Department of Transport and the Department of Planning and Architecture of Ho Chi Minh City agreed to add an elevated road plan for Dinh Bo Linh route (from Pham Van Dong intersection to Dien Bien Phu street) and Xo Viet Nghe Tinh (from Hang Xanh to Binh Trieu 1 bridge).
At the same time, the HCMC Department of Transport is also planning to implement an elevated road project along the Truong Chinh - Cong Hoa axis, from An Suong intersection to Tan Son Nhat airport. The 11.2km long route, with 4 lanes and an investment capital of nearly 12,000 billion VND, is expected to be implemented under the form of public-private partnership (PPP).
Advantages and disadvantages of elevated roads
Since 2005, the city has planned to build five elevated routes, but after nearly two decades, none of them have been implemented. The biggest difficulty lies not in technology but in finance, because these projects require huge investment capital, each route costs over VND10,000 billion.
According to a representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport, with the mechanism from Resolution 98, the city budget can contribute 50-70% of capital for BOT projects. This helps reduce risks and attract investors more effectively.
Associate Professor Dr. Vu Anh Tuan - Director of the Vietnam - Germany Transport Research Center, commented that elevated roads are a necessary solution for large cities like Ho Chi Minh City. In urban areas such as Bangkok, Jakarta, Manila, the construction of elevated roads has significantly reduced traffic congestion and improved travel speed. According to Mr. Tuan, if Ho Chi Minh City does not have an elevated road network, congestion will become increasingly serious, especially in the Tan Son Nhat airport area.
Associate Professor Dr. Chu Cong Minh - Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology - also agrees with this plan. According to him, the elevated road is a solution to make the most of space, reduce pressure on land use and have less impact on residential areas. However, building an overpass requires large capital and more complicated techniques than a ground road. The biggest advantage is that there are fewer intersections, helping vehicles move faster. Mr. Minh emphasized that careful calculations are needed to avoid congestion at the approach sections and intersections with the lower road.
However, Dr. Duong Nhu Hung from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology said that elevated roads should only be a temporary solution, mainly built at intersections to reduce congestion. In the long term, Ho Chi Minh City needs to promote public transport and collect fees for cars entering the inner city, similar to what Singapore has done. He emphasized that solving congestion cannot rely solely on building elevated roads.
Dr. Pham Viet Thuan - Institute of Natural Resources and Environment Economics of Ho Chi Minh City - warned that building elevated roads in urban areas can affect the environment and landscape. Therefore, careful consideration should be given when choosing elevated routes to minimize negative impacts.
According to Mr. Tran Quang Lam - Director of the Department of Transport of Ho Chi Minh City, the goal of the 5 BOT projects is to improve traffic capacity and solve traffic congestion on existing routes. Design options, including calculations of elevated or level routes, along with intersections and design speeds, must be carefully analyzed and evaluated to suit the reality of urban traffic.
