According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport, Rach Doi Bridge on Le Van Luong Street is one of the projects that Ho Chi Minh City will prioritize investment in the coming time to increase connectivity with Long An province.
The existing Rach Doi Bridge was built before 1975 and has seriously degraded after many years of exploitation. The bridge's iron pillars have rusted and many locations have holes, while traffic, including heavy trucks, continues to pass.
Under the bridge, boats and barges carrying sand and goods often move back and forth. Worryingly, some large barges still try to squeeze across the bridge, increasing the risk of traffic insecurity.
The project to build a new Rach Doi bridge was approved by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council in 2016 with a total investment of 781 billion VND. However, due to difficulties in budget balance, the project has not been able to be implemented yet.
According to the plan, Rach Doi Bridge will be about 452m long and 15m wide. The approach road is about 300m long and 29m wide.
The section through Ho Chi Minh City has a land clearance cost of 265 billion VND. While the section through Long An province has a site clearance budget of about 85 billion VND, which is borne by this locality.
The Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board (Traffic Board) is striving to start construction of Rach Doi Bridge by the end of 2025.
Along with Rach Doi Bridge, the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Department also plans to start construction of Rach Tom Bridge on Le Van Luong Street this year.
In fact, the Rach Tom Bridge project was approved in 2019 with a total investment of nearly 497 billion VND. The total length of the project is more than 683m, of which the bridge is 171m long, 15m wide and the approach road is more than 512m long, 29m wide.
Although approved a long time ago, the Rach Tom bridge project has not yet been able to be implemented due to lack of capital.
At the end of 2024, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council approved the policy of reclaiming 3.1 hectares of land to implement the Rach Tom bridge project.
Previously, the two bridges Long Kieng and Rach Dia on Le Van Luong route were newly built and put into operation in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
When all 4 bridges on this route are completed, the transportation system connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Long An will be significantly improved, helping to reduce congestion and promote socio-economic development for the entire region.
