Severe traffic congestion on Tân Kỳ Tân Quý Road during peak hours, a bottleneck slated for widening by 2032. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — HCM City is seeking approval to spend more than VNĐ15.5 trillion (US$590 million) on widening two major roads and rehabilitating a polluted canal in its western gateway to ease traffic congestion, improve drainage, and reduce flooding.

The municipal People’s Committee submitted amended plans for the three projects to the city People’s Council for approval.

The revisions reflect expanded project scopes to match rapid urban growth.

Earlier proposals involved smaller budgets and minor upgrades, which failed to meet the area's growing urban and infrastructure needs.

Under the proposals, widening Tân Kỳ Tân Quý Road will cost nearly VNĐ6.48 trillion ($246 million).

Classified as a group A infrastructure project, it will be implemented between 2027 and 2032 and include land acquisition.

It will cover a 2.9-kilometre section between the Bình Long and Cộng Hòa intersections, a heavily congested corridor connecting the city's western areas with Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, and major industrial parks.

The road will be widened to 30 metres, with six lanes on a 20-metre carriageway, a central divider, 4.5-metre pavements, lighting, landscaping, and underground drainage systems.

The city also proposes to upgrade the Phan Anh - An Dương Vương road corridor between Hòa Bình and Bà Hom streets at a cost of more than VNĐ4.326 trillion ($164 million).

The two-kilometre work, to be carried out between 2027 and 2032, will improve connectivity between the city's northwestern and southwestern areas.

The existing road is only about seven metres wide, causing severe congestion during peak hours.

Inadequate drainage has also made the corridor one of the city's flooding hotspots.

The road will again be widened to 30 metres with its associated infrastructure upgraded.

Besides, the city will rehabilitate the Bàu Trâu Canal to improve drainage, reduce pollution, and improve living conditions in its vicinity.

The work for “Dredging, Beautifying, and Completing Technical Infrastructure along Bàu Trâu Canal” will cover the section from Tân Hóa Canal to Phan Anh Street.

A polluted section of Bàu Trâu Canal in HCM City, which authorities plan to rehabilitate by 2031. — Photo www.sggp.org.vn

Estimated to cost more than VNĐ4.744 trillion ($180 million), the group A project is scheduled for completion by 2031.

Bàu Trâu Canal has long suffered from severe organic pollution, heavy siltation, and illegal encroachment, contributing to flooding in surrounding residential areas.

The project will rehabilitate a 1.066-kilometre section, retaining a 10-metre-wide open drainage channel reinforced with prestressed concrete embankments.

It also includes a 20-metre-wide service road, a linear park in Phú Thạnh Ward, and underground cable ducts.

Some 3.82 hectares of land will have to be acquired for the work.

The city's western areas have experienced rapid population growth in recent decades, placing increasing pressure on roads, drainage systems, and other infrastructure.

The area's low-lying terrain has also made it particularly vulnerable to flooding during heavy rains and high tides.

The three projects are intended to improve transport connectivity, tackle persistent flooding and pollution, and support urban development in the western gateway. — VNS