HCMC – The HCMC Management Board of Investment and Construction of Traffic Projects will open the 385-meter second branch of the An Suong Tunnel to traffic tomorrow, July 15, to help ease traffic congestion at the city’s northwest gateway.
The first branch, which was opened to traffic in March 2018, and the second branch at An Suong Intersection in HCMC’s District 12 cost a total of VND514 billion.
The second branch is for automobiles traveling from the city’s outlying district of Cu Chi to the city center.
Earlier, work on the second branch had been suspended since December 2018 pending site clearance, Phap Luat Online reported.
In mid-October 2019, Hoc Mon District handed over land to the management board as the investor of the project so that it could continue the construction.
Due to the dense traffic and the impact of Covid-19, after five months of concerted efforts, the second branch has been completed and meets technical requirements.
Luong Minh Phuc, head of the management board, said that An Suong Intersection is where the Trans-Asia Highway of National Highway 22 and National Highway 1A meet, leading to heavy traffic. Many container trucks travel on the road, posing a high risk of accidents.
As such, when the entire project is put in place, the three-layer interchange will help reduce traffic congestion and ensure traffic safety, Phuc noted.
The remaining parts of a project to build tunnels at the intersection, including upgrading pavements and developing green spaces, are slated for completion in September this year.
Speaking of a plan to open the tunnel to traffic and ease traffic jams at the An Suong Intersection, the HCMC Department of Transport said that from 7.30 a.m. on July 15, the competent agencies will begin to ensure autos using the second branch from National Highway 22 to Truong Chinh Street travel in a single direction.
