Heavy rain on the evening of September 10th caused the HC1-02 underpass (connecting Mai Chi Tho street with the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway) at An Phu intersection (Binh Trung ward) to be flooded about 0.5m.
Flooding caused the underpass to be temporarily closed, affecting people's travel through the eastern gateway area of Ho Chi Minh City.
By the morning of September 11, the Fire and Rescue Police Team of Area 2 mobilized specialized vehicles and pumps to support drainage. Ho Chi Minh City Urban Drainage Company also dispatched mud suction trucks to the scene for handling.
By about 1:30 pm on September 11, the water in the tunnel had been pumped out, and vehicles could circulate normally through the area.
Representatives of the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board (Traffic Board), the project investor, said that according to the design, the tunnel is equipped with 2 pumps with a total capacity of more than 700m3/hour.
However, during the heavy rain in the late afternoon of September 10, the amount of water from outside poured in was too much, causing the pumping system to be overloaded, leading to localized flooding in the middle of the tunnel area.
Faced with the situation that An Phu underpass is often at risk of flooding when heavy rain occurs, the Traffic Board said that in the immediate future, it will arrange an additional large capacity pump, about 2,000m3/hour, to be on duty and proactively drain water when heavy rain occurs.
Raise the road surface 70 - 80cm to limit water overflowing into the tunnel
The Traffic Board said that An Phu intersection has a lower terrain than some surrounding areas, so when it rains heavily, water from other places tends to pour here. In the long term, it is necessary to handle synchronously from the road surface elevation to the water intake and drainage system.
The road surface in the An Phu intersection area will be raised to about 70 - 80cm. This is to create a suitable drainage direction, limiting rainwater from the road surface from pouring directly into the tunnel entrances.
Along with raising the road surface, the water collection system along both sides of the curb will be supplemented, helping to collect water faster, limiting water stagnation in low-lying areas and then flowing into the tunnel.
The drainage system of the area will also be completely built. Existing culverts that no longer meet drainage capacity will be replaced by larger culverts.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Board, this flood control plan was calculated by the consulting unit right from the design of the project, and based on practical experience from other underpasses.
The Traffic Board is preparing to organize a second bidding to implement the above items, after the previous bidding invitation did not have any contractors participating.
The implementation cost is included in the general bidding package of the project, including the construction of a complete water intake and drainage system, so it does not incur total investment capital.
The HC1-02 underpass has a total investment of more than 342 billion VND, which is one of the important items of the An Phu intersection project. The project was opened to traffic on February 2, 2026. The tunnel is about 480m long, two-way traffic, two lanes in each direction.
An Phu intersection was started at the end of 2022 with a total investment of more than 3,400 billion VND, built on a three-story scale including an underpass and an overpass system.
The project has been postponed twice. Initially, the project was expected to be completed by the end of 2025, then postponed to the second quarter of 2026 and now continued to be adjusted to the second quarter of 2027, expected to be handed over in the third quarter of 2027.
