HCMC – The HCMC Department of Transport has proposed three options for the direction of the Beltway No. 4 project in the city to reduce site clearance and construction costs.
The options have been sent to the HCMC People’s Committee for consideration after public-private partnership (PPP) has been chosen for the project.
The HCMC section of Beltway No. 4, around 17 kilometers long, will pass through Cu Chi and Nha Be districts, starting at Phu Thuan Bridge in neighboring Binh Duong Province and ending at Thay Cai Bridge in neighboring Long An Province.
Regarding the first option, the 17-kilometer section will be built according to the previous plan at a total cost of around VND17.8 trillion, with nearly VND10.7 trillion of it going to site clearance.
Half of the section will overlap the existing roads, but this option requires a large number of houses to be relocated, leading to high compensation costs.
The second option suggests that parts of the beltway section would be developed separately from some existing roads, such as Bau Lach and Nguyen Thi Ranh, with a total cost of VND13.8 trillion.
Similarly, the third option shows the beltway section in HCMC would be separated from the existing roads and shortened to over 16.7 kilometers, requiring an estimated VND13.6 trillion.
These two options require fewer houses and other structures to be relocated and lower site clearance expenses.
The HCMC Department of Transport also proposed building an overpass on Thay Cai Canal connecting HCMC and Long An.
The local authority will complete the prefeasibility study in September 2023, carry out the project appraisal and announce the official information three months later.
Work on the project is expected to start in September 2024 after investors are chosen in January.
The Beltway No. 4 section in HCMC will be opened to traffic in the first quarter of 2028.
Beltway No. 4 is nearly 200 kilometers long, passing through five provinces — Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, HCMC and Long An.
The project aims to boost traffic connectivity by linking up expressways, national highways and airports, especially the Hiep Phuoc port urban area south of HCMC with the key economic zone in the Mekong Delta.
