Hanoi Highway has been expanded from 21m to 142-153.3m in width with 16 lanes. The highway expansion project was started in April, 2010. Currently, the entire 11.5km main route of the highway from Saigon Bridge to the intersection in front of Vietnam National University - HCMC has been built.
At the end of 2019, the 1.8km long tunnel at the intersection, part of the highway expansion project invested by HCMC Infrastructure Investment Joint Stock Company, was open to traffic expanding the area from seven to 14 lanes and solving traffic jam there. Nearby, Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro line runs parallel with the highway. The metro line’s station, track system has been formed.
However some items of the highway expansion project have not been done due to problems in site clearance. This is a major large scale project which has contributed in improving traffic in the eastern gateway to the city. The vigorously developed traffic infrastructure has brought the appearance of urban areas.
Economic experts said that the eastern part locates in the “golden triangle” connecting HCMC, Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. It is the convergence place of major traffic routes between HCMC and provinces in the Southeastern region. Still the experts concerned that the expanded highway will become overloaded in the upcoming time due to the increasing travel and transport demand in the city. In order to ease traffic pressure for Hanoi Highway, Pham Van Dong Street has been built linking Highway 1K up to the center of the city. In addition, the second phase of HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway is in urgent need of implementation while Ring Road No. 2 should be completed soon.
Mr. Luong Minh Phuc, director of the Transportation Works Construction Investment Project Management Authority of HCMC, the eastern part of the city has been most invested compared to other areas in the city with many large infrastructure projects having been built. Still, it is still needed to develop more to meet the travel demand of over one million people in the innovation district in the future.
Hence, traffic projects in this area will not stop at Hanoi Highway, the first metro line, the second phase of HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway. It will comprise roads linking up to Hanoi Highway, Ring Road No.2 and No.3 and Cat Lai Bridge, My Thuy 3 Bridge in Dong Van Cong Street and the tunnel and bridge system in front of the new Mien Dong (Eastern) Station in District 9.
Experts said that planning and building the innovation district in the eastern part of HCMC will be a milestone changing the city’s outlook, adding that it needs determination together with breakthrough polices for traffic infrastructure development for the area to develop at the same level with other cities in the region.
