HCMC – The authority of Dong Nai Province has petitioned the prime minister to consider multiple traffic projects for the southern province and is especially seeking approval to expand the HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway to 10-12 lanes to address the strong surge in traffic.
The provincial government noted that traffic congestion is a constant on the road section from National Highway 51 to HCMC during rush hour and holidays.
Further, the road expansion will ensure an adequate traffic infrastructure system is in place to meet the rise in travel demand after the Long Thanh international airport is put into service, it added.
According to the Transport Ministry, given the constant traffic gridlock on the expressway, the expansion plan should be taken into account to meet the surging travel demand, assist with socioeconomic growth and ensure road safety.
Commenting on the issue, the director of the provincial transport authority, Tu Nam Thanh, explained that the Transport Ministry had tasked the relevant agencies with studying and proposing investment methods to widen the heavily congested road.
Bui Van Quan, president of the HCMC Goods Transport Association, noted that HCMC is a goods transport hub in the southern economic region, and the development of the expressway has helped shorten transport duration and costs. However, the increased traffic congestion on roads to and from the eastern section of the city has unnerved transport operators, as they have had to face escalating transport costs.
Accordingly, Quan stated that he fully endorsed the investment plan to widen the expressway and suggested the construction of more expressways to improve transport links in the south.
Data from Vietnam Expressway Corporation showed that the HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway records the highest vehicular traffic volume among the major expressways in the south. The road in 2015 served 10 million vehicles, but the figure has now risen to 16.5 million. Partial traffic congestion usually occurs on road sections leading to HCMC.
