HCMC – The HCMC Department of Transport has proposed the government of HCMC seek approval from the prime minister to widen an expressway linking the city and neighboring Tien Giang Province.
The department said that the HCMC-Trung Luong Expressway has increasingly heavy traffic, which has exceeded the designed capacity of the phase-one expressway.
Traffic congestion often occurs, especially on holidays and weekends, affecting regional connectivity and socio-economic development.
According to the original plan, the HCMC-Trung Luong Expressway would allow a maximum speed of 120 km per hour but the current speed limit of the first phase is only 100 km per hour.
The second phase of the expressway, which should have been carried out after 2020, would have eight lanes, including two emergency lanes.
In the current first phase, the expressway has only six lanes, including two for emergencies.
The HCMC Department of Transport stressed the need to widen the expressway as soon as possible to create a complete regional road network which consists of expressways and beltways which are underway and being planned.
The department said the city government should request the prime minister to call a meeting with relevant ministries and local authorities to discuss the project and assign one locality to take charge of the project.
The road network in the HCMC area has five expressways with a total length of some 276.9 kilometers and two beltways with a total length of some 287 kilometers.
