On May 11, the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board (Traffic Board) said that the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway Expansion Project will start construction in the second quarter of 2025.
The more than 3 km long approach road, from An Phu intersection to Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 2 (Thu Duc City), will be expanded from 4 to 8 lanes, including upgrading Muong Kenh Bridge and Do Xuan Hop overpass.
With a total capital of nearly VND1,000 billion from the Ho Chi Minh City budget, this project is expected to be completed in 2026, synchronized with the An Phu three-storey intersection (more than VND3,400 billion) being implemented and expected to be put into operation by the end of 2025.
For the main expressway, the Ministry of Construction recently proposed that the Prime Minister assign the Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) as the investor of the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway expansion project.
At the same time, the Ministry of Construction proposed to allocate VND6,500 billion from the State budget to support project implementation.
VEC will be responsible for developing specific investment plans and financial plans and ensuring the groundbreaking in 2025. The Ministry of Construction also recommended that the Prime Minister allow VEC to apply a special mechanism in selecting contractors to ensure progress.
According to the expansion plan agreed upon by ministries and branches, the 4.8 km long Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh expressway section from the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 2 overpass to Ring Road 3 (Ho Chi Minh City) will be increased from 4 to 8 lanes.
The next section, from Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3 to the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway intersection, 17.07 km long, will be expanded to 10 lanes, with a design speed of 120 km/h.
The total preliminary investment for the entire expansion project is estimated at about VND16,314 billion. Of which, the State budget capital is VND6,500 billion, the rest is mobilized by VEC, including VND1,987 billion of equity, VND6,850 billion of loans and VND977 billion of interest during the construction period.
The 55 km long Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway, including 4 lanes, has been put into operation since 2016 with a total investment of more than VND 20,600 billion.
However, after nearly a decade of operation, the traffic volume on the route has increased by an average of 10.45% per year.
In particular, the section from An Phu intersection to Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway intersection has exceeded the designed capacity by more than 25%, often causing serious congestion.
Even if the Ben Luc - Long Thanh expressway is put into operation in 2026, the demand for transportation via the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh expressway is still forecast to exceed 25% of the capacity of the existing 4 lanes.
When Long Thanh airport phase 1 officially came into operation, traffic pressure on this expressway increased sharply, making the expansion of the route urgent.
