The HCM City-Trung Lương Expressway connects HCM City with Long An Province. VNS Photo Ngoc Diệp

HCM CITY — HCM City and its neighbouring Long An Province plan to widen seven roads that connect each other by 2025 at a cost of VNĐ24.4 trillion (US$1.05 billion).

“Work on these roads, which are currently facing severe traffic congestion, will start next year,” Nguyễn Hoài Trung, deputy director of the Long An Department of Transport, said.

They are now four-lane roads that are 18-22m wide, and will be expanded to six lanes and 40m.

Work to widen Nguyễn Văn Bứa Road (the city’s Hóc Môn District) - ĐT824 road (Long An) will cost VNĐ2.8 trillion.

Highway 50 from the city’s Bình Chánh District to Cần Giuộc District in Long An will cost VNĐ1.5 trillion.

Lê Văn Lương Street (Nhà Bè District) - ĐT826C (Cần Giuộc District) will cost VNĐ1 trillion.

Long Hậu Street (Nhà Bè) - DT826E (Cần Giuộc) will cost VNĐ5.1 trillion.

The two localities have also agreed to build a new 8.6km road parallel to Highway 50 between Bình Chánh and Cần Giuộc districts at a cost of VNĐ4.3 trillion.

Long An also plans to build a new 7.5km road between its Đức Hòa District and the north-western part of HCM City at a cost of VNĐ6.4 trillion. 

The city will extend its Võ Văn Kiệt road to connect with provincial roads 822, 823, 823B and 825 (Đức Hòa District) at a cost of VNĐ3.3 trillion.

The two sides also plan to widen 16 more roads after 2025. 

Long An is situated in an advantageous location in the Southern Key Economic Region, serving as a bridge between HCM City and the Mekong Delta’s 12 provinces and one city. 

Ring roads

Meanwhile, HCM City has urged the Ministry of Transport to speed up construction of ring roads No 3 and No 4 at a cost of more than VNĐ154 trillion ($6.6 billion) to reduce congestion in and around the city and strengthen its links with neighbouring provinces.

Work on a 16km section of Ring Road No 3 has begun while Ring Road No 4 remains on paper.

The VNĐ55.8 trillion ($2.4 billion) former will be 90km long and pass through the city and Đồng Nai, Bình Dương and Long An provinces.

Construction has been divided into four sections.

Ring Road No 4 will be a 198km expressway running through HCM City and Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu, Bình Dương, Đồng Nai, and Long An provinces.

It is expected to cost around VNĐ99 trillion ($4.3 billion).

Ring Road No. 3 will be linked to national highways 1A and 22, and the Bến Lức-Long Thành, HCM City-Trung Lương, HCM City-Long Thành-Dầu Giây and HCM City-Mộc Bài expressways.

It will reduce the travel time between various localities and reduce the number of vehicles entering the city, helping reduce traffic jams and accidents there. — VNS