HCMC – The southern province of Dong Nai has proposed the Ministry of Construction study plans for upgrading National Highway 51 into an urban expressway.
This highway, which connects Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces, is often congested due to heavy truck traffic.
The proposal, which was sent to the Ministry of Construction today, includes transferring the management of a 6-kilometer section of the highway from Vung Tau to Gate 11 intersection to Dong Nai Province for further research on constructing the urban expressway, reported Phap Luat newspaper.
According to the Dong Nai People’s Committee, National Highway 51 is approximately 64 kilometers long, with 37 kilometers running through Dong Nai. The highway currently features six motor vehicle lanes and two mixed-use lanes, along with six major intersections and 37 smaller to medium-sized junctions.
The province noted that once the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway becomes operational, traffic on National Highway 51 could decrease. To maximize efficiency, the province suggests a phased investment approach for upgrading the highway into an urban expressway.
Based on preliminary studies and the highway’s current conditions, Dong Nai proposed maintaining the existing layout of National Highway 51 while addressing key intersections with localized solutions, such as overpasses.
Within Dong Nai, the plan includes constructing 17 overpasses with a total length of over 15 kilometers. At locations with entry and exit ramps, the road would be widened by six meters on each side, requiring the clearance of more than 25 hectares of land. The estimated investment for this section exceeds VND18,500 billion. Meanwhile, Ba Ria-Vung Tau would build 12 overpasses totaling nearly 10 kilometers, necessitating 21.3 hectares of land clearance, with an investment of over VND15,600 billion. Therefore, the combined cost is over VND34,100 billion.
An alternative plan involves maintaining the highway’s current layout and addressing intersections with underpasses instead of overpasses. While the land clearance requirements would remain the same, this option would raise the total investment to nearly VND42,000 billion.
These estimates exclude the cost of constructing a 5.7-kilometer elevated road along National Highway 51 from Vung Tau Intersection to Gate 11 intersection. In its proposal to the Ministry of Construction, Dong Nai prioritizes this elevated road project, designed to urban expressway standards. The province is currently studying its feasibility as a public-private partnership (PPP) project.
To facilitate this, Dong Nai has requested the Ministry of Construction to expedite legal procedures for transferring the 5.7-kilometer section from the Vung Tau Intersection to Gate 11 to provincial management for further investment research.
