HCMC – Le Loi Boulevard in HCMC’s District 1 was entirely reopened to traffic after an eight-year closure for the construction of the city’s first metro line.
The last barricades were removed at the section spanning from the Nguyen Hue pedestrian street to Phan Boi Chau Street, putting Le Loi Boulevard back into operation on August 31.
The section was closed in 2016 to accommodate the construction of the Opera House underground station, part of the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien Metro Line, starting from downtown HCMC’s Ben Thanh Station to Long Binh Depot near Suoi Tien Theme Park.
Quach Thi Trang Roundabout on the boulevard remains under construction, however. Paving and embellishment work is expected to be completed in 2022.
Le Loi Boulevard was closed in 2014. The street was gradually separated into three blocked-off sections.
In April 2020, all roadblocks at the Opera House station, from Dong Khoi to Nguyen Hue Street, were removed as the project approached completion.
Then, the barriers on the section from Nguyen Hue to Pasteur Street were cleared during the four-day holiday of Reunification Day (April 30) and International Labor Day (May 1).
The section from Pasteur to Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street was put into use on August 27.
The People’s Committee of District 1 suggested turning Le Loi into a pedestrian street to attract visitors and boost the night-time economy.
Metro Line No. 1, which stretches roughly 20 kilometers with three underground and 11 elevated stations, costs over VND43.7 trillion and is expected to be ready in the fourth quarter of 2023.
