On the morning of September 3, the first day after the National Day holiday on September 2, thousands of people from the Northeast gateway flocked to the center of Ho Chi Minh City, causing traffic through the Binh Trieu 1 and 2 bridges to be seriously congested.
Since the end of August, Binh Trieu 1 Bridge has been temporarily suspended for traffic to serve the clearing project, all vehicles have been moved to Binh Trieu 2 Bridge. Binh Trieu 2 Bridge is organized for two-way traffic, in which a 3.5m wide lane is for cars going from the center to Binh Trieu intersection. Therefore, the remaining road for vehicles entering the inner city is narrowed, causing great pressure.
Recorded at around 7am this morning, the line of vehicles from National Highway 13 extended for kilometers, moving inches at a time to cross the bridge. At Binh Trieu intersection, traffic conflicts are tense as vehicles from National Highway 13 jostle to the bridge to encounter the flow of vehicles from Binh Loi bridge (Pham Van Dong street).
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung (35 years old, Tam Binh ward, Ho Chi Minh City) said: "It only takes me about 35 minutes to go to work every day, but this morning it has been more than 1 hour and I have not been able to cross Binh Trieu 2 bridge. Motorbikes and cars jostle each other, honking loudly, very tired".
Many people were forced to change direction, going around the Pham Van Dong - Nguyen Xi intersection to find a way to the center. However, the large number of vehicles pushing in also caused this area to quickly become congested, causing Binh Loi bridge to be congested for a long time.
At the scene, authorities were present to regulate traffic flow, but due to the large traffic volume and the narrowing of the bridge surface, the congestion lasted throughout the morning rush hour.
