City starts roads in Thu Thiem, opens main bridge
By Dinh Dung - The Saigon Times Daily
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| The flyover as part of the Thu Thiem Bridge linking the city center and District 2 is now opened to traffic - Photo: Kinh Luan |
HCMC - Vietnam Infrastructure Development and Finance Investment Co. (VIDIFI) on Sunday commenced work on three main roads on Thu Thiem Peninsula to accelerate development of the new urban town in HCMC’s District 2. On the same day, the Thu Thiem Bridge and its sophisticated interline was also opened to traffic.
Dao Van Chien, general director of VIDIFI, said his company would invest VND6.73 trillion to develop ten kilometers of roads to connect key facilities 
on the peninsula.
The project of three roads, which is being developed in the form of build-transfer (BT), includes the 3.6-kilometer Arc Avenue with a width of 55 meters, enough for four car lanes and two motorbike lanes. The Central Lake Road will be 3.5 kilometers long and 29 meters wide for four car lanes, while the Saigon Riverside Road will be 2.8 kilometers and have two car lanes.
The project developer says ten bridges will be built across the three roads and that those bridges will be a highlight of the developing new urban town.
Le Trong Sang, Chairman of the People’s Committee of District 2, told the ground breaking ceremony that the district had relocated 3,700 families to clear 88 hectares for the roads.
Also on Sunday, municipal authorities witnessed the completion of the second phase of the Thu Thiem Bridge with the opening of the overpass leading to the city center after the main bridge was put into service one year ago.
There is also a tunnel of four vehicular lanes directly linking the city center with Saigon Bridge, a roundabout above the tunnel but under the flying-over bridge, plus other flower and grass lawns under the bridge.
The completion of Thu Thiem Bridge is expected to not only facilitate circulation from the outlying districts 2 and 9 to the city, but ease the traffic burden for Saigon Bridge and tap the economic potential of the new urban town.
The project was started in 2005 with two phases and investment capital of VND1.45 trillion. The first phase was put into service in January, 2008, with a main bridge 1,250 meters long crossing the Saigon River.