Engineers lift 11,000-ton bridge to enable Saigon River navigation

Built before 1975, Binh Trieu 1 spans the Saigon River as a key link in the city's eastern gateway.

In 2010 it was renovated and widened to three lanes.

It and Binh Trieu 2 Bridge nearby form a vital transport axis linking Binh Duong and Thu Duc with downtown HCMC via National Highway 13.

Work is underway to lift Binh Trieu 1 Bridge (front) across the Saigon River, September 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Anh

But its navigational clearance, the vertical distance between the water and its underside, was only 5.5 meters, well below the required 7–9.5 meters, which hindered waterway traffic amid a growing demand for larger vessels to enter the city's ports.

After careful studies, the city decided to elevate the bridge using a hydraulic jack system to safeguard its structural integrity.

The work costs VND133 billion (US$5.2 million) but is expected to save thousands of billions of dong, the price tag for a new bridge.

The work, which began at the end of 2024, is being carried out by the city Department of Construction's Road Infrastructure Management Center.

The most complex task, of lifting the entire structure 1.08 meters, started in late August and will be fully completed in November.

Nguyen Viet Quang, head of the center's infrastructure management division 2, said the biggest challenge was to evenly lift the entire structure while ensuring stability and safety.

"The lifting phase took about one month followed by two months of reinforcement, installation and load testing to ensure safety before reopening."

Workers are seen at the construction site to lift Binh Trieu 1 Bridge, September 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Anh

Quang said this is the first time Vietnam is applying this technology on such as large-scale project, and the work is being done mainly by Vietnamese engineers.

Over 100 engineers and workers are currently working at the site.

They used 106 hydraulic jacks placed under the bridge spans, 76 with a 400-ton capacity and 30 with a 500-ton capacity.

All were connected to sensors and controlled via a central computer system with an error margin of less than 1 mm. The bridge was lifted 4–8 cm a day with vibrations being monitored constantly.

The bridge consisted of 16 concrete spans and three main steel spans, but during the 2010 renovation contractor Freyssinet linked them into four spans of 140 meters each.

The lifting was done span by span and repeated to ensure uniform elevation.

According to the Road Infrastructure Management Center, the method was somewhat similar to "house lifting" techniques but far more complicated due to the massive load and stringent technical requirements.

Since Aug. 26 cars have been banned from using the bridge but motorbikes are still allowed to ease the load on the other bridge, making the construction and traffic management more challenging.

Binh Trieu 1 bridge pier is reinforced to install hydraulic jack system. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Anh

Tran Do Liem, chairman of the Vietnam Inland Waterways Transport Association, said the project demonstrates Vietnamese engineers' mastery of complex technologies that once required foreign expertise.

"With this experience, the solution can be applied to other aging bridges, saving costs while meeting transport needs."

The demand for cargo transport between HCMC and the Mekong Delta has surged, with businesses investing in larger ships.

But many bridges with low clearance like Binh Trieu are a hurdle to waterway development.

Liem explained that while new bridges have a minimum clearance requirement, older ones built decades ago lacked that, limiting both transportation and river tourism.

In the north, the Duong River Bridge is also a bottleneck due to low clearance and the presence of both road and rail lines. But he said with the technology and experience from Binh Trieu 1, tackling even more complex cases across Vietnam is going to become feasible.

HCMC is also preparing to raise Binh Phuoc 1 Bridge on National Highway 1 between the former Thu Duc City and District 12. The 760-meter-long structure will be raised by 1.25 meters to achieve minimum clearance of seven meters at a cost of VND111 billion.

HCMC vice chairman Bui Xuan Cuong said the Saigon River is of strategic importance for the city's socio-economic development and regional connectivity. It has 14 bridges, but only Binh Trieu 1 and Binh Phuoc 1 have low clearance.