Stalled projects congest roads between HCMC south, downtown

Work to build a tunnel and traffic circle at the intersection of Nguyen Van Linh and Nguyen Huu Tho streets in District 7 started in June 2020.

Originally scheduled for completion within two years, they are only half finished.

"The work was meant to prevent traffic jams, but it has been making the congestion worse because it has not be completed for three years now," Nguyen Dang, 40, said while being stuck at the intersection one morning in late August.

He was on his way to the downtown area, and stuck in a long tailback of motorbikes, cars and trucks.

A project to build a tunnel and traffic circle at the intersection of Nguyen Van Linh and Nguyen Huu Tho streets in District 7, HCMC, in late August. Photo by VnExpress/ Dinh Van

The tunnel is being built on Nguyen Van Linh Boulevard, and is just over 40% complete, with the construction site being full of machinery and building materials that block the flow of traffic.

"There are days when it takes almost two hours to travel less than 10 km from Nha Be District to District 1," Dang said.

He said that after escaping the gridlock at the intersection drivers face another at Kenh Te Bridge to District 4.

He could take Nguyen Van Linh Boulevard to District 8 and drive over Nguyen Van Cu Bridge to work, but that is a much longer drive, he said.

There is only another route from District 7 to the city center: via Huynh Tan Phat Street, Tan Thuan Bridge and Nguyen Tat Thanh Street.

From District 8, one can take Duong Ba Trac Street and cross one of the four bridges - Kenh Xang, Nguyen Van Cu, Cha Va, and Y - but traffic data from the city Department of Transport shows they have all exceeded their designed capacity.

Kenh Te Bridge - between districts 7 and 4 - was widened by two meters in 2019 by reducing the space for pedestrians at a cost of VND90 billion (US$3.75 million), but remains inadequate for the large number of vehicles it handles every day.

As vehicle numbers continue to increase by the day, other projects to smoothen travel between the southern and central parts remain on paper.

Traffic jam on Nguyen Huu Tho Street near the intersection with Nguyen Van Linh Street in District 7, HCMC, on Aug. 28, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Gia Minh

Six years ago the city planned to build Nguyen Khoai Street connecting districts 7, 4 and 1 at a cost of more than VND2.8 trillion.

But it has made no headway due to lack of funding.

There are also proposals to widen Nguyen Tat Thanh Street in District 4 and build Binh Tien Bridge between districts 6 and 8 and Thu Thiem 4 Bridge between Thu Duc City and District 7, but the city has no specific plans yet for starting work on them.

Luong Minh Phuc, director of the HCMC Management Board of Traffic Works Construction and Investment, said traffic pressure in the south is "huge" as roads there are connected to ports and its urban development has been rapid in recent years with hundreds of new apartment buildings coming up.

He said the Nguyen Van Linh - Nguyen Huu Tho tunnel project is behind schedule due to problems with relocating electricity, water, telecom, and other infrastructure systems.

But authorities have "basically tackled the issues," and work is expected to resume in October, he said.

As for the other projects awaiting funding to get underway, the Department of Transport said with the National Assembly granting HCMC more administrative autonomy in June, it could now carry them out in the build-transfer format and is working on investment procedures.

A map of routes connecting downtown HCMC with its southern part. Graphics by Thanh Huyen, Dang Le