HCM CITY — Heavy traffic and frequent congestion has turned the HCM City – Long Thành – Dầu Giây expressway into a low-speed road.

There are complaints that the traffic jams have spread from weekends earlier to Fridays too with the number of holiday makers going from HCM City and the Mekong Delta to Vũng Tàu’s beaches steadily rising.

An official from the Việt Nam Expressway Technical Service Co. said the expressway could see congestion worsening and lasting from Thursday to Sunday during summer.

Nguyễn Thanh Đạm of HCM City’s Phú Nhuận District said when there are traffic jams it takes her almost one hour to cover the 30km expressway which otherwise takes just 12-15 minutes.

Nguyễn Văn Thanh of Bình Thạnh District said there is congestion near the toll stations since some people use fee payment cards, and cards used on this expressway differ from regular ones used on other roads.

According to the Việt Nam Expressway Corp. (VEC), the volume of traffic on the expressway has yet to reach designed capacity.

Measures to reduce congestion

To reduce traffic jams on the expressway, a VEC spokesman said there is a proposal to ban heavy vehicles and container trucks during rush hour since they usually travel at low speeds, especially when crossing the Long Thành Bridge, forcing all other vehicles too to slow down and causing congestion.

Nguyễn Văn Thành, head of the Department of Road Management No 4, said his agency has yet to receive the proposal banning large trucks during rush hour.

But such a ban should be carefully considered since it would severely affect cargo transportation, he warned.

Therefore, it should be preceded by consultations with transport associations and companies, he said.

According to another member of the VEC management, to ease traffic on the expressway, the company will strive to improve the quality of the services on it related to accidents and mishaps.

The VEC also plans to co-operate with the traffic police in Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu Province and Long Thành District in Đồng Nai Province to regulate traffic on National Highway No 51.

Relevant agencies have been seeking investments to build the second phase of the HCM City–Long Thành–Dầu Giây Expressway and the Long Thành Bridge No 2. — VNS