Recorded on January 5, at the An Phu intersection construction site, dozens of workers and machinery are urgently constructing the closed tunnel sections of the HC1-02 underpass.
This underpass is 760 m long, including 4 two-way lanes, directly connecting the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway with Mai Chi Tho street in the direction of the Saigon River tunnel. The total private investment for underpass HC1-02 is more than 340 billion VND.
To date, the HC1-02 underpass has completed about 90% of the volume and is expected to be opened to traffic before January 15, 2026.
Previously, underpass HC1-01 at the Mai Chi Tho - Dong Van Cong intersection was put into operation from the end of June 2025.
When both underpasses are open to traffic, vehicles from the highway can turn left smoothly towards Mai Chi Tho street, towards the Saigon River tunnel, instead of having to wait for the traffic lights as before.
A few dozen meters from the underpass, the branch of overpass N3 (from Mai Chi Tho turning left to Dong Van Cong) is also gradually forming, expected to be opened to traffic in the first quarter of 2026.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board (Traffic Management Board - investor), An Phu intersection often experiences congestion in 5 main directions, including: Traffic flow from the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway to the intersection; direction from Dong Van Cong street going straight up Mai Chi Tho; traffic flow from Luong Dinh Cua street crossing the intersection to the expressway; branches from Nguyen Thi Dinh street and parallel roads entering the intersection; Mai Chi Tho - Dong Van Cong intersection area.
Previously, the project had completed the HC1-01 underpass and the N2 bridge branch (turning right from the expressway to Mai Chi Tho street).
In the first quarter of 2026, the commissioning of the HC1-02 underpass and the N3 bridge branch is expected to help reduce congestion by about 80% in the An Phu intersection area.
At the same time, the Traffic Management Board is directing contractors to accelerate the construction progress of bridge branch N4 (from Dong Van Cong turning right to Mai Chi Tho) and bridges N1.1, N1.3 (turning left from Mai Chi Tho to Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway).
These items are expected to be opened to traffic before June 30, 2026, thereby fundamentally solving the congestion situation at An Phu intersection.
To ensure the overall progress, the Traffic Management Board requests construction units to increase shifts, mobilize more manpower and equipment, and resolutely handle contractors who are slow or violate contracts.
An Phu intersection is a key traffic project at the eastern gateway of Ho Chi Minh City, started at the end of 2022, with a total investment of more than 3,400 billion VND.
According to Decision No. 869/QD-UBND dated March 28, 2022, the project is implemented in the period 2021 - 2025. However, due to project delays, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has allowed adjusting the implementation time to the second quarter of 2026.
According to the Traffic Management Board, the An Phu intersection project plays a strategic role as a direct connecting point between Mai Chi Tho street and the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway, and is also an important gateway to the East of the city.
The completion of the entire project in 2026 not only helps traffic in the area become more smooth, but also creates a foundation for a sharp increase in vehicle volume when the expressway is completed and expanded at the end of 2026 and Long Thanh International Airport officially operates from mid-2026.
