HCMC eyes $4.3 bln infrastructure upgrade

By Gia Minh March 8, 2021 | 10:00 pm PT

An artist's impression of the Can Gio Bridge, connecting the districts of Can Gio and Nha Be in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo courtesy of the HCMC Department of Planning and Architecture.

HCMC has prioritized 21 infrastructure projects, including 15 for transportation, to be completed in the next few years at an estimated cost of VND100 trillion ($4.33 billion).

The biggest in the list is the VND17.5 trillion No. 1 Elevated Road between the districts of Tan Binh and Binh Thanh, according to the city Department of Transport.

The second biggest is VND15.4 trillion No. 5 Elevated Road connecting Thu Duc City and District 12.

The list also includes several bridges, completion of ring roads and widening of a section of the national highway.

A new bus station will be built in the west, and an inland container depot in Thu Duc City.

Since these are "key and urgent" projects, they should receive funding priority, the department said.

The city will spend VND32 trillion on the 15 transport projects, while the rest of the projects will be funded under the public-private partnership model.