Construction of a new road connects Trần Quốc Hoàn and Cộng Hòa streets leading to the Tân Sơn Nhất International Aiport’s third passenger terminal in HCM City’s Tân Bình District. — VNA/VNS Photo Tiến Lực

HCM CITY — With great efforts of the entire political system, HCM City has seen strong changes in developing its urban transport infrastructure system.

The city has completed a number of major transport projects and is carrying out many ongoing traffic construction works.

Lương Minh Phúc, director of the city’s Management Board of Traffic Works Construction and Investment, said 2023 witnessed a lot of memorable milestones in the city’s transport infrastructure development.

Ring Road No. 3, running 90km and costing more than VNĐ75.3 trillion (US$3.1 billion), will pass through HCM City and the southern provinces of Đồng Nai, Bình Dương and Long An.

It will have six lanes designed for speeds of 80-100km per hour for commuting and two lanes for emergency stops.

Although the original project was approved by the Government more than 10 years ago, its construction has been delayed repeatedly due to a lack of funds and difficulties in site clearance.

As of now, only the 15km section of Ring Road No. 3 in Bình Dương Province has been completed and opened to traffic.

The ring road is expected to reduce traffic congestion in HCM City’s gateways and spur local economic growth.

It will help to improve inter-regional traffic connections and create a new driving force for socio-economic development in the Southern Key Economic Region.

In late 2023, the city for the first time received a private company's sponsorship of more than VNĐ1 trillion ($40.7 million) to build a pedestrian bridge over the Sài Gòn River that connects Thủ Thiêm New Urban Area in Thủ Đức City with the city’s central area.

This is an important and iconic project for the southern city, and promises to be a popular "check-in site" for residents and tourists alike.

The city’s Department of Transport has submitted a pre-feasibility study report for construction of the Thủ Thiêm 4 bridge connecting the Thủ Thiêm New Urban Area with District 7 at a cost of more than VNĐ6 trillion ($244 million).

The bridge is one of the city’s key transport projects that will be prioritised for implementation between 2022 and 2028.

It is expected to improve connectivity between two crucial areas in HCM City.

Construction of Long Kiểng Bridge in HCM City’s Nhà Bè District was completed after more than two decades. — VNA/VNS Photo Tiến Lực

Last year, the city restarted many projects delayed for many years due to land clearance problems.

In September last year, construction of Long Kiểng Bridge in Nhà Bè District was completed after more than two decades.

The new bridge helps link Nhân Đức and Phước Kiểng communes in the district, and boost traffic connection between the south of the city and neighbouring Long An Province.

A series of other new bridges such as Cần Giờ and Vàm Sát with total capital of more than VNĐ342 billion ($14 million) opened to traffic, and work on the Nam Lý, Tăng Long and Long Đại bridges in Thủ Đức City also began.

After a four-year pause, construction of the Nam Lý and Tăng Long bridges are expected to be completed in September this year and April next year, respectively.

Long Đại Bridge officially opened to traffic in December last year, providing smooth transportation connectivity between Long Bình and Long Phước communes.

It began construction in March 2017 but had to be temporarily halted in 2019 due to land clearance problems. Work was resumed at the end of 2022.

With a cost of more than VNĐ3.5 trillion ($142.5 million), the An Phú Intersection project in Thủ Đức City is under construction and is expected to resolve congestion at the city's eastern gateway.

Nguyễn Văn Nên, secretary of the city Party Committee, said that more than 50 per cent of planned public investment capital has been disbursed last year.

In 2024, the city’s public investment plan with a total capital of nearly VNĐ80 trillion ($3.3 billion) is enough for key traffic projects.

In early this year, works on five key traffic projects have been implemented synchronously meet deadlines from 2024 to 2026.

They include component project No. 1 of Ring Road No. 3, the An Phú Intersection project, upgrading and expanding National Highway No. 50 in Bình Chánh District, building a double underground tunnel below Nguyễn Văn Linh Boulevard at its intersection with Nguyễn Hữu Thọ Street in District 7, and a new road connects Trần Quốc Hoàn and Cộng Hòa streets leading to the Tân Sơn Nhất International Aiport’s third passenger terminal in HCM City’s Tân Bình District. — VNS