HCM CITY — HCM City this year plans to open more roads and bridges in an effort to reduce traffic congestion and accidents, according to the city’s Transport Department. 

The department plans to open 75km of new roads and 17 bridges within the year, and will prioritise major projects at key intersections, belt roads and city gateways.

It will also aim to complete 24 ongoing projects, including Mỹ Thủy crossroads, An Sương Tunnel and Nguyễn Thái Sơn-Nguyễn Kiệm flyover.

The city will speed up major projects such as the road connecting Phạm Văn Đồng Street with Gò Dưa Crossroads, Thủ Thiêm 2 bridge, intersection at HCM National University, and Lương Định Của Street upgrade and Ông Nhiêu bridge, among others.

In addition, the department plans to launch 27 new projects. These include the upgrade of Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh Street, expansion of Đồng Văn Cống Street, construction of Nguyễn Hữu Thọ-Nguyễn Văn Linh crossroads, Bình Tiên bridge, four main roads in Thủ Thiêm urban area, and expansion of Hà Nội Highway.

Several roads around Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport will also be expanded, including Hoàng Hoa Thám and Cộng Hòa streets.

Speaking at a meeting held on Wednesday, Trần Quang Lâm, vice director of the Department of Transport, said Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport’s Terminal 3 is expected to open in 2021 with a capacity of 20 million passengers per year. 

Roads surrounding the airport must be improved to prevent traffic congestion, he said.

The department has proposed the construction of Belt Road No.3 to ease traffic jams in the area.

The city last year completed a number of projects such as the expansion of Hoàng Minh Giám Street, construction of the tunnel and flyover in Mỹ Thủy intersection, a tunnel in An Sương intersection, and another at HCM City National University intersection, as well as a bridge crossing Kim Cương island in District 2. 

Addressing the conference, Trần Vĩnh Tuyến, vice chairman of the city People’s Committee, spoke highly of the results achieved by the Transport Department in 2018, especially the disbursement progress for major road projects in the city.

Tuyến has asked the department to take measures to reduce traffic accidents, analyse the causes of accidents, and improve the handling of drivers using drugs. 

In addition, the department has been asked to evaluate the designs of the metro line projects in the city. 

For road and bridge projects that have had designs changed, the appraisal council and experts should be consulted. This will help save money for the state, he said.

The department has also been asked to find ways to attract advertisements on buses. 

This year the city will allocate capital to implement projects to the department, which will be held responsible for the implementation process, Tuyến noted.

Last year the number of passengers using public transport reached 635, an increase of 7.3 per cent compared to the same period in 2017 and 100 per cent of the plan, according to the Department of Transport.

The department set a target this year to have 2.14km of road per square km and 11.2 per cent of the urban traffic demand met by public transport.

The department will also strive to reduce by 5 per cent the number of traffic accidents, deaths and injuries this year. 

Last year, more than 18,730 traffic accidents occurred nationwide, leaving 8,248 dead and 14,802 injured, according to the National Committee for Traffic Safety. — VNS