The Thủ Thiêm 2 Bridge between Thủ Đức city and District 1 in HCM City is scheduled to open to traffic in April this year. — VNA/VNS Photo Trung Tuyến

HCM CITY — A number of ongoing traffic projects in HCM City, including bridges and roads, are nearing completion and are expected to be finished by year-end, Lương Minh Phúc, head of the city Management Board for Traffic Works Construction and Investment, has said.

They include the Thủ Thiêm 2 Bridge over the Sài Gòn River between the Thủ Thiêm New Urban Area and District 1, which is expected to cost VNĐ3.1 trillion (US$137 million).

Its construction began in 2015 and was scheduled for completion in 2018, but has been delayed due to land acquisition problems.

It has a length of more than 1.4km and six lanes, and the 886m main section is a cable-stayed bridge with one main tower in the shape of a dragon with a height of 113 metres and facing the Thủ Thiêm area.

Its main components are completed and the contractor is seeking to speed up work on the District 1 side to ensure the bridge can open to traffic on National Reunification Day, April 30.

The value of real estate in its surrounding areas, especially in Thủ Thiêm, is expected to rise after the bridge opens.

This year, the city also plans to complete infrastructure for nine land lots measuring 77,600 square metres in functional zone No. 1 in the Thủ Thiêm New Urban Area at a cost of VNĐ600 billion ($26.5 million).

The work, which started in March 2020, includes six roads around the land lots with a total length of 1.4km, and electricity, lighting, water supply, and drainage systems.

Another project to be completed this year is the new Bưng Bridge on Lê Trọng Tấn Street between Tân Phú and Bình Tân districts.

To cost VNĐ515 billion ($22.7 million), construction began in 2017, but has also been delayed for long.

The first branch of the bridge opened to traffic in December last year, and the second is scheduled to open in September 2022.

Another 23 projects are scheduled for completion this year, Phúc said.

They include the widening of Hoàng Hoa Thám Street in Phú Nhuận District and Đồng Văn Cống Street in Thủ Đức City, and construction of the Hang Ngoài Bridge in Gò Vấp District.

Elsewhere, Linh Xuân Park in Thủ Đức City and anti-erosion dykes along the Giồng Canal-Kinh Lộ River in Nhà Bè District and near the Phước Lộ Bridge in Nhà Bè District are also expected to be completed. — VNS