Construction of the Thủ Thiêm 2 Bridge in HCM City between District 1 and Thủ Đức City will be completed in 2022. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — HCM City’s 1,465m Thủ Thiêm 2 Bridge over the Sài Gòn River between District 1 and the newly created Thủ Đức City is expected to open to traffic in the second quarter of next year.

Đại Quang Minh Real Estate Investment Corporation, the builder, said the main span of the cable-stayed bridge is scheduled to be connected on September 2 this year to celebrate National Day.

It said despite the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, construction was being speeded up by increasing the work to three shifts a day.

It is around 70 per cent complete.

To meet pandemic prevention and control requirements, the company has arranged onsite accommodation and meals for around 120 engineers and workers.

The six-lane bridge will have one main tower shaped like a dragon 113m high and leaning towards the Thủ Thiêm New Urban Area.

Thirty of 34 nodes used for the main tower and 44 of 56 cables used for the construction have been installed.

Its design means the bridge will be an architectural sight over the Sài Gòn River.

Its construction began in 2015 and was originally scheduled to be finished in 2018, but it has been plagued by tardy land acquisition and delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The build-transfer bridge is expected to cost more than VNĐ3 trillion (US$130.3 million).

It is expected to reduce traffic jams, improve connectivity between downtown and Thủ Thiêm, and boost the development of the city’s eastern innovative urban area. — VNS