Dozens of trees cut down in advance of HCMC road project

Around 20 African mahogany trees, spanning 50-60 cm in diameter, were cut down and laid along Truong Chinh Street on Monday. Several other trees were also either cut down or pruned by workers with specialized vehicles.

The Transportation Works Construction Investment Project Management Authority of HCMC, the main investor of the project, said the clearance will make room for the construction of the road, spanning 4 km and costing over VND4.8 trillion ($196 million), at the entrance of the airport.

Previously, the Truong Chinh section from Cong Hoa to Pham Van Bach saw 18 trees cut down, and six other trees on Cong Hoa were also removed to make room for construction sites.

The authority said the tree clearance would be completed on Friday. The wood would be given to the technical infrastructure management center under the Department of Construction so they could be sold, and the money would go into the national budget.

After the road project is completed, new trees will be planted in the area.

The road project, which began construction in December last year, will connect with the third terminal which is under construction at Tan Son Nhat airport. The project has six lanes along with an overpass, two tunnels and two connecting branches.

It is expected to be completed in August 2024 and will help relieve traffic on existing roads such as Truong Son, Cong Hoa and Truong Chinh.