On the afternoon of September 18, at a regular press conference, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction responded to the traffic jam at the An Phu intersection.
People reported that the painted lines at the right turn from Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway to Mai Chi Tho caused confusion and congestion. Many opinions suggested that the authorities remove lights or adjust them to allow continuous right turns, reducing conflicts in the area.
Does the Department of Construction consider solutions to optimize rush hour traffic, arrange permanent regulators and apply monitoring technology to help people move more conveniently?
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction, the construction process of the An Phu Intersection Construction Project invested by the City Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board (Traffic Board) still has many shortcomings.
The road surface in the area is damaged, the paint lines have not been completely removed, causing difficulties for traffic participants.
The Department of Construction said that it has repeatedly issued documents to rectify and coordinate with the City Police and local authorities to request the investor to correct the problem.
As for the traffic light system at the intersection, the Department has studied 8 options for adjustment according to each time frame. From January 1, 2025, the operation of lights will be assigned to Ho Chi Minh City Police to comply with the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety 2024.
In the coming time, the Department of Construction will continue to coordinate with the City Police and the investor to adjust the signal to suit each construction stage.
In addition, the Department of Construction has also reported to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, proposing to consider the responsibility of investors and contractors for the slow progress, and at the same time directed inspection and strict handling of violations in construction.
The Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Department said that the An Phu intersection project has a total capital of more than VND 3,400 billion, and after nearly 3 years of construction, it has reached more than 70% of the volume.
Of which, the N2 bridge branch (for vehicles turning right from the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh expressway to Mai Chi Tho, towards Vo Nguyen Giap) has been completed 55%, expected to open to traffic on December 31, 2025.
The HC1-02 underpass, directly connecting the expressway with Mai Chi Tho road (towards the Saigon River tunnel), has reached 73%, expected to be exploited before the Lunar New Year 2026.
When these two items are put into use, they will help reduce traffic pressure by about 80% at the An Phu intersection.
Next, the N3, N4 bridge branches (connecting Mai Chi Tho - Dong Van Cong) and N1.1, N1.3 bridges (left from Mai Chi Tho to the expressway) are expected to be completed and opened to traffic before June 30, 2026. At that time, the congestion at the An Phu intersection is expected to be completely resolved.
During the construction process, the Traffic Department recommended that the Cat Lai Traffic Police Team continue to be on duty and divert traffic during peak hours to reduce pressure. At the same time, contractors will arrange additional forces to support regulation right at the site, minimizing prolonged congestion.
