National Highway 22 is one of five key projects to upgrade and expand existing roads under the BOT (build-operate-transfer) model, implemented by Ho Chi Minh City thanks to the special mechanism from Resolution 98.
According to the project's initial pre-feasibility study report, the 8.7 km long section of National Highway 22, starting at An Suong intersection (District 12) and ending at Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3 (Hoc Mon district), is being studied for 3 expansion options with a cross-section of 60m and 10 lanes.
Option 1 (about 8,400 billion VND): Expand the road to 60m with 10 lanes, different-level intersections with overpasses. The advantages are easy construction, fast implementation time, lowest construction cost (2,571 billion VND). The disadvantage is that the density of overpasses is high (1km/1 bridge), affecting the urban architectural landscape and causing inconvenience for traffic.
Option 2 (about 10,000 billion VND): Expand the same road but at different levels by using an underpass. The advantage is to reduce the impact on the landscape and noise, ensuring urban aesthetics. The disadvantage is that the dense underpass (1km/1 tunnel) still causes inconvenience when traveling, and the construction cost is higher than option 1 (3,978 billion VND), along with high exploitation and operation costs.
Option 3 (about 11,871 billion VND): Combines 6 ground lanes and 4 elevated lanes. The advantages are the smoothest traffic, a 14m wide green strip, convenient for future construction of an above-ground metro and the possibility of expanding to 2 more lanes. The disadvantages are noise affecting residents' homes, and the highest construction cost of the three options (5,494 billion VND).
After consideration, the consulting unit proposed to choose option 1 due to its low cost and fast implementation time.
Of the total project investment, the cost of site clearance and relocation of technical infrastructure is about 5,269 billion VND. The project will need to reclaim about 18.5 hectares of land, of which District 12 only accounts for 0.4 hectares, most of which is concentrated in Hoc Mon district with 18.1 hectares.
In District 12, 120 households were partially cleared, while in Hoc Mon district, 1,162 households were partially cleared and 311 households were completely cleared.
The proposed capital for the project includes VND3,541 billion (about 40.19%) mobilized under the BOT form and VND5,269 billion from the Ho Chi Minh City budget (accounting for 51.89%).
Ho Chi Minh City plans to complete the pre-feasibility study report by the end of 2024 or early 2025, then select investors to implement from 2025 to 2028.
National Highway 22 is the only Northwest gateway connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Moc Bai international border gate (Tay Ninh), playing an important role in trade with ASEAN countries.
However, the current road is only 36-40m wide, with 2 car lanes and 1 motorbike lane on each side, unable to meet the increasing transportation demand, leading to increased traffic congestion and accidents.
Along with the VND19,600 billion Ho Chi Minh City - Moc Bai expressway project expected to start construction in 2025, the expansion of National Highway 22 will ensure synchronous traffic connections, reduce the load on existing routes and promote regional economic development.
