On the morning of July 25, Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh (58 years old, Tan Son Nhat ward) leisurely drove his motorbike on the new asphalt road from Ba Vi street to alley 108 Cong Hoa. On both sides are rows of spacious houses, vehicles circulate smoothly.
Few people remember that right under that road surface was once canal A41 - a black canal, filled with garbage and smelling foul for many years.
I never thought that one day this canal would become such a beautiful road" - Mr. Thanh shared.
According to people's memories, canal A41 was once a "black spot" of pollution. The canal bed was silted up, domestic waste and rubble were densely packed, and many sections were also encroached upon by houses.
Canal A41 also undertakes the task of draining about 50% of rainwater from Tan Son Nhat airport.
However, during the heavy rain in 2016, Tan Son Nhat airport was seriously flooded due to the narrowed canal, garbage blocking the flow, causing water to not drain in time.
Faced with this situation, in the same year, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council approved the investment policy for the A41 canal renovation project.
According to the plan, the project will be completed in the period 2017 - 2019. However, prolonged problems in compensation and site clearance have caused the project to be delayed many times.
It will not be until December 2024, when the bottlenecks in site clearance are gradually removed, that the project will officially start construction.
After having the site, a series of machines were mobilized for construction. The old canal was renovated with a solid concrete box culvert system.
The section from Ut Tich street to Giai Phong street installs double box culverts with dimensions of 2.5 x 2.5 m; the section from Giai Phong street to Phan Thuc Duyen street uses single box culverts of the same size.
Up to now, the section from Ba Vi street to alley 108 Cong Hoa has been completed and put into operation, helping to open an additional connecting direction to the gateway area of Tan Son Nhat airport.
The change is not only in transport infrastructure but also in the urban appearance and people's lives. From houses facing the polluted canal, many households now own frontage facing the new, clean and airy road.
Ms. Dang Thi Minh, a resident of Giai Phong street, said that her family is preparing to renovate the ground for business when the road is completed.
The number of vehicles will definitely be more crowded than before. If the road is beautiful, trading will also be more convenient, and the neighborhood will be much busier" - Ms. Minh expected.
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Le Huu Tuan - Deputy Director of the Tan Son Nhat Ward Construction Investment Project Management Board (the investor) - said that the project currently reaches about 65% of the construction volume.
At the intersection with the Tran Quoc Hoan - Cong Hoa connecting road, units are urgently completing traffic connections and drainage systems, expected to be completed in August.
Currently, there are still about 40 m of the route that cannot be constructed because 24 households have not handed over the site.
The investor is coordinating with the Ward People's Committee to complete the dossier to adjust the compensation boundary for some cases to ensure the rights of the people, before submitting it to competent authorities for approval.
According to the plan, the entire project will open to traffic in December. When completed, the project will not only improve the drainage capacity for Tan Son Nhat airport and surrounding areas, but also contribute to reducing flooding, reducing congestion, and creating a spacious urban appearance for the Northwest gateway of Ho Chi Minh City.
