Elevated road proposed between HCMC and neighbor province to ease traffic

The project includes widening National Highway 13 to 60 meters and adding an elevated roadway in the center. The total investment is estimated at over VND21.7 trillion (US$850.3 million).

The proposal is part of a pre-feasibility study for upgrading and expanding a 6.3-kilometer section of National Highway 13 in HCMC's Thu Duc City. Submitted by the HCMC Department of Transport to the municipal People’s Committee, the project is planned under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.

The section slated for expansion runs from Binh Trieu Bridge to Vinh Binh Bridge at the HCMC–Binh Duong border. The plan calls for increasing the existing four to six lanes to ten lanes, incorporating a green corridor and related infrastructure.

A key component of the project is a 3.2-kilometer elevated viaduct with four lanes in the center, while parallel roads will run on both sides.

The investment will be covered by a combination of state and private funding, with 68% contributed by the government and the remaining from private investors. Under the proposal, the investor would recover costs through toll collection over a period of 21 years and four months.

Site clearance and investor selection are scheduled to begin in the third quarter of this year. Construction is expected to start in the third quarter of 2026, with completion and operation anticipated two years later.

National Highway 13 spans over 140 kilometers, passing through HCMC, Binh Duong, and Binh Phuoc. As a crucial arterial route to HCMC's eastern gateway, it serves densely populated areas, links to the former Eastern Bus Station (from where people can leave HCMC for central and northern localities), and connects to the inner city—factors contributing to its frequent congestion.