Branch connecting Võ Văn Kiệt Street and Bình Đông Street. Photo courtesy of Department of Transport

HCM CITY — The 3.6 km long Bình Tiên bridge and road project, connecting Districts 6, 8 and Bình Chánh District, is expected to be built on an elevated route with four to six lanes, with total capital of VNĐ6.8 trillion (US$267.8 million).

The project is one of five key projects to upgrade and expand existing roads under the BOT (build-operate-transfer) model, implemented by HCM City thanks to a special mechanism from Resolution 98.

According to the project's initial pre-feasibility study report, Binh Tien bridge and road have a total length of 3.66 km, starting from the Bình Tiên - Phạm Văn Chí intersection (District 6), crossing Võ Văn Kiệt Avenue, Tàu Hù Canal, Cây Sung Street (District 8), Đôi Canal, Tạ Quang Bửu Street, before connecting to Nguyễn Văn Linh Avenue (Bình Chánh District).

Bình Tiên Bridge, including roads leading to the bridge, will be 3,200 metres long and 30-40 metres wide. It will have four main lanes.

The project requires the acquisition of 21.27 hectares of land, including 1.55 hectares in District 6; 6.9 hectares in District 8 and 12.82 hectares in Bình Chánh District.

A total of 398 households were affected, of which 189 households were partially cleared and 200 households were completely cleared.

The proposed capital for the project includes VNĐ3.4 trillion (about 50.38 per cent) mobilized under the BOT form and VNĐ3.4 trillion from the HCM City budget.

According to the plan, the pre-feasibility study report for the Binh Tien bridge and road project will be completed by the end of 2024 or early 2025. After approval, the city will select an investor to implement the project from 2025 to 2028.

When completed, Bình Tiên Bridge and Road will create a new road axis from the center of HCM City to Nguyễn Văn Linh Avenue, thereby conveniently connecting with National Highway 50, National Highway 1, Bến Lức - Long Thành Expressway and Ring Road 3.

Currently, to reach southern metropolitan areas, drivers have had to rely on Nguyễn Tri Phương Street and National Highway 50; and Y, Chà Và, and Nhị Thiên Đường bridges.

However, due to rapid urbanisation and traffic congestion, more problems have occurred at these hotspots in recent years. — VNS