HẢI PHÒNG – The first steel overpass in the inner northern city of Hải Phòng at the most crowded intersection is expected to be put into operation in January next year.

Construction of the overpass at the Lê Hồng Phong-Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm intersection started in May this year.

It connects two important routes - Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm Road located on Highway 5 and Lê Hồng Phong Road, which leads to the Cát Bi International Airport.

This intersection facilitates travel for some 50,000 vehicles per day, often leading to traffic jams and road accidents. In addition, the volume of cargo received at Hải Phòng Port has seen a 12-19per cent increase in recent years, which has increased the number of vehicles travelling on Highway 5 and via the intersection.

The overpass has received investment of VNĐ310 billion (US$13.95 million) sourced from the city’s budget. Once construction is complete, it will be 267.6m long and 16m wide, with four lanes and a maximum speed of 60km per hour.

To help facilitate construction of the overpass, the city’s Transport Department made some traffic adjustment, but that led to public concern as it affected the operation of some businesses.

Trần Văn Tâm from investor HJC Joint Stock Corporation explained that traffic difficulties for some businesses were inevitable, such as increase in expenses relating to petrol and road fee since vehicles had to take a roundabout route due to the construction of the overpass.

However, if heavy vehicles were still allowed to go through this intersection, it would affect the progress of the project and the quality of the overpass, he said.

From October 7, vehicles with capacity of more than 13 tonnes are required to take a roundabout route to the Hà Nội-Hải Phòng highway, instead of the Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm and Lê Hồng Phong roads, from 5am to 11pm. - VNS