After nearly a year of construction, including almost three months of restrictions on cars, HCM City on Sunday reopened the Bình Triệu 1 Bridge (right), restoring full traffic flow at the city’s northeastern gateway. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — HCM City on Sunday reopened the Bình Triệu 1 Bridge after nearly a year of construction, including almost three months of car restrictions, restoring full traffic at the city’s northeastern gateway following a complex engineering lift to raise its navigational clearance.

The project, completed more than a month ahead of schedule, is expected to ease congestion and improve vessel movement along the Sài Gòn River, officials said.

At the reopening ceremony, Nguyễn Xuân Vinh, director of the Road Infrastructure Management Centre under the city’s Department of Construction, said the bridge, built before 1975 and upgraded in 2010, had a vertical clearance of just 5.5m. That fell short of the 7m minimum required under the updated waterway master plan.

“The clearance upgrade was essential to ensure maritime safety, facilitate vessel passage and support socio-economic development in the southeastern region,” he said.

Under the Sài Gòn River port and channel plan, the route must accommodate vessels of 2,000-3,000 tonnes. Instead of building a new bridge, a VNĐ1 trillion option, the city chose a hydraulic-jacking method to lift the existing 11,000-tonne structure at a cost of just over VNĐ100 billion ($3.8 million).

“This is the first time this technique has been applied in Việt Nam,” Vinh said. “Despite the modest budget, the effectiveness is significant, saving public funds while ensuring safety and limiting disruption.”

Trần Quang Lâm, director of the Department of Construction, said the bridge remained largely operational during the nine-month construction period, with cars restricted for around three months.

“A new structure would have required far more investment and caused major traffic disruption. Lifting the existing bridge was the optimal solution,” he said.

The project used a high-precision hydraulic lifting system, a technical first for HCM City, with key work carried out by French contractor Freyssinet and supervision by the Institute of Transport Science and Technology. Load tests show the bridge meets all design requirements, Lâm added.

With reopening, Bình Triệu 1 now carries one-way traffic from Bình Thạnh Ward toward Hiệp Bình Ward, while Bình Triệu 2 handles the opposite direction.

City officials say traffic demand in the area continues to rise due to growing links between HCM City, Bình Dương area and the northeastern region.

Several follow-up projects are being studied, including a Bình Triệu 3 Bridge, upgrades to Ung Văn Khiêm-Đinh Bộ Lĩnh streets, and an elevated corridor connecting Bình Triệu to Bình Dương. — VNS