The tunnel at the intersection of Phan Thuc Duyen - Tran Quoc Hoan streets has been completed by about 50% and is expected to open to traffic in July next year.
The tunnel has an investment of VND200 billion (US$8.21 million) and is part of a project to build a four-km-long road with six lanes connecting Tran Quoc Hoan and Cong Hoa streets, both of which lead to the airport.
Expecting to ease long-lasting traffic congestion around the international airport, the biggest in Vietnam, the road costing VND4.8 trillion (US$204 million) from the state budget will also connect to the airport's T3 domestic terminal, which is under construction.
The tunnel has a width of 9 m for two lanes running from Phan Thuc Duyen to Cong Hoa.
To implement the project, a pedestrian bridge leading to Hoang Van Thu Park was dismantled. Part of the park's land was seized, and 300 trees were cut down to make fences for the construction site.
After the project is completed, the contractor will return an area of 700 sq.m to the park for replanting trees, and the rest will be used to make a sidewalk.
According to the design, the total length of the tunnel is about 400 m, of which the closed section is 42 m long, and the rest is open.
Worker Nguyen Van Tu uses a machine to cut anti-sinking piles before pouring concrete on the tunnel floor.
"The roads around Tan Son Nhat airport have been heavily congested for many years. We're trying to finish the tunnel construction soon so people can travel more conveniently," said the 46-year-old man.
Another worker is welding steel to install scaffolding. According to the contractor, there are about 80 workers working three shifts to complete the project on schedule.
The closed tunnel section passing through Tran Quoc Hoan Street will be dug in the near future.
The contractor plans to install a temporary bridge with five lanes across the street to ensure the construction process does not affect traffic.
