A map of the routes of proposed overhead roads that will help ease traffic congestion in HCM City. — Photo tuoitre.vn

HCM CITY —  The HCM City Department of Transport is urging the city People's Committee to approve investment for 55 urgent transport infrastructure projects next year, including five new overhead roads to ease traffic congestion at hotspots connecting eastern and western areas.

Traffic gridlock often occurs during rush hour on Trường Sơn Street leading to Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport and the Lăng Cha Cả Roundabout in Tân Bình District, and at an area at a railroad crossing on Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Street in Phú Nhuận.

Flyovers have been built around these areas, but congestion has only slightly decreased.

Under the department’s proposal, the projects would cost about VNĐ81.8 trillion (US$3.5 billion) sourced from the State budget and VNĐ68.6 trillion ($2.95 billion) under public-private partnerships (PPP).

The first priority would be given to construction of two overhead roads No. 1 in and No. 5, to be implemented in the 2020-30 period.

With a cost of VNĐ17.5 trillion ($755 million) sourced from the local budget, the overhead road No.1 would be 9.5km long, starting from Lăng Cha Cả Roundabout in Tân Bình District to the Phú An Bridge in Bình Thạnh District.

The overhead road No. 5 will run from the National Highway 1A section at Trạm 2 Intersection in District 9 and Thủ Đức District to An Lạc Intersection in Bình Tân District, with a total length of 34km.

The VNĐ32.9 trillion ($1.4 billion) project will receive funds under a public-private partnership (PPP). It is expected to reduce traffic jams and enhance transport connections between eastern and western areas.

The department has also proposed three other overhead roads.

The 12km overhead road No. 2 will start at the overhead road No. 1 at the Lăng Cha Cả Roundabout and end at the intersection of Hương Lộ 2 Street and National Highway 1A in Bình Tân District.

The overhead road No. 3 will have a length of 8km from the intersection of the overhead road No. 2 and Thành Thái Street in District 10, running through Lý Thái Tổ and Nguyễn Văn Cừ streets to Nguyễn Văn Linh Street in District 7.

The overhead road No. 4 will be about 7.3km long, running from the intersection of National Highway 1A and the overhead road No. 5, through Vườn Lài Street, spanning Vàm Thuật River, and Phan Chu Trinh Street, and ending at the intersection of Điện Biên Phủ Street and the overhead road No. 1.

If these routes were expanded, the costs for site compensation would be too high. Therefore, building overhead roads will be more practical and feasible.

Hà Ngọc Trường, vice chairman of the city's Road, Bridge and Port Association, said building the proposed overhead roads was urgently needed to tackle traffic jams in key areas in the city.

The city should create favourable conditions for the private sector to invest in the overhead roads under PPPs, he said.

Võ Kim Cương, former deputy chief architect of the city, said the city’s development of transport infrastructure had not caught up with its urbanisation and strong economic and population growth.

Upgrading transport infrastructure requires huge financial resources, so the city needed policies to speed up compensation and site clearance to start construction and complete the traffic projects on schedule. — VNS