According to the Traffic Infrastructure Maintenance Board (Hanoi Department of Construction), the southern gateway is a very large traffic load-bearing area due to connecting with many key routes such as Phap Van - Cau Gie, National Highway 1A, Hanoi - Hai Phong expressway. Intersections such as Ring Road 3 - Ngoc Hoi, Do Muoi - Tran Thu Do, Ring Road 3 - Phap Van often experience congestion, especially during peak hours.
The traffic volume through this area is always high, including inter-provincial passenger cars, container trucks, heavy trucks and a large number of personal vehicles, causing traffic to be frequently overloaded, posing a potential risk of unsafety.
At the Northwest gateway, the intersection area of National Highway 2 - Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway access road has long been considered a "black spot" of congestion. In particular, the direction from Vo Van Kiet street to the expressway is often congested for a long time.
The reason is that this is an important connecting axis between Hanoi and the Northwest provinces and Lao Cai international border gate. The volume of vehicles is increasing rapidly, at times congestion stretches for kilometers, trucks line up and flock towards Noi Bai airport.
Faced with the above situation, at the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026, the Hanoi People's Committee issued consecutive urgent orders to implement infrastructure renovation and reorganize traffic in key areas.
Specifically, the southern area is renovated at the Phap Van intersection, Nuoc Ngam Bus Station and alley 15 Ngoc Hoi street. Here, units have cut sidewalks, expanded the road surface of alley 15 from 11m to 15m (4 lanes); and opened branch roads connecting from the service road to the Phap Van - Cau Gie expressway.
In addition, the median strip of Do Muoi street is adjusted to expand the road surface, adding a separate left turn lane, helping to reduce traffic conflicts and increase traffic capacity.
Representatives of the contractor said that the construction process was implemented according to the emergency regime with hundreds of personnel, organizing many continuous construction teams of 3 shifts, 4 teams, ensuring completion on schedule.
According to the leader of the Traffic Infrastructure Maintenance Board, previously, vehicles from the inner city to the Phap Van - Cau Gie expressway mainly concentrated on Do Muoi road and elevated Ring Road 3, putting great pressure on the Phap Van intersection.
The opening of an additional connecting route from lane 15 Ngoc Hoi to the expressway has created more access directions, helping to effectively divert traffic. After completion, the congestion situation at the Giai Phong - Ngoc Hoi - Do Muoi, Tran Thu Do - Do Muoi intersections and the Phap Van area has been clearly improved, and vehicles are more convenient to travel.
In the Northwest region, the project to renovate the intersection of National Highway 2 - Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway is also being urgently implemented, even during the Binh Ngo Tet 2026.
The road surface of National Highway 2 section from the traffic light intersection to Vo Van Kiet intersection is expanded from 3 to 5 lanes. At the same time, traffic at the expressway exit is reorganized, traffic is diverted to the center of Hanoi, Nhat Tan bridge, Noi Bai airport and neighboring provinces.
After about 2 months of construction, the project has been completed, significantly contributing to solving prolonged congestion in the Northwest gateway area.
According to Mr. Dam Quang Bao - Director of the Traffic Infrastructure Maintenance Department, the implementation according to the emergency order has significantly shortened the investment preparation time, from 1-2 years to about 1-2 months. The process is streamlined but still ensures the selection of capable units, meeting the requirements for project progress, quality and efficiency.
