HCM CITY — HCM City authorities have asked for the Prime Minister’s permission to urgently build a flyover bridge instead of following normal protocol, which could delay construction until next year.

If approved by the PM, the flyover over the Công trường Dân chủ six-way intersection could be completed this year and partly address the worsened congestion at one of the main traffic spots of the southern city.

The VNĐ280 billion (US$12.4 million) flyover is designed to be 270m long, connecting Võ Thị Sáu and 3/2 streets. The bridge can be used by both motorbikes and cars, according to the city authorities.

The HCM City People’s Committee already approved the project early this year, yet construction can officially begin only next summer according to normal protocol. With a construction period of at least six months, it means the bridge would open to traffic at the earliest by late 2018.

The Công trường Dân chủ intersection, meanwhile, is under increasing traffic pressure as it is the connecting point to other thoroughfares such as Cách mạng Tháng Tám, Võ Thị Sáu and 3/2. Heavy traffic is reported throughout the day, particularly from 6am to 8pm.

In another move, the city Department of Transport on Tuesday agreed to build a new road connecting Trần Quốc Hoàn and Cộng hòa streets in Tân Bình District as part of a series of projects aimed at reducing traffic jams in the Tân Sơn Nhất airport area.

The new road is expected to cost VNĐ1.4 trillion, with six lanes stretching over 4.3km.

It is one of the six priority projects that the HCM City transport department has requested permission to invest in this year due to traffic congestion in the area around the Tân Sơn Nhất Airport. The other five projects are two new flyovers, the expansion of Hoàng Minh Giám and Hoàng Hoa Thám streets and renovation of Cộng hòa Street.

Estimated investment for the six projects is VNĐ2.68 trillion. — VNS