Hanoi (VNA) - The Ben Luc-Long Thanh Expressway is scheduled to fully open to traffic on the evening of September 30, creating a direct road link between the Mekong Delta and southeastern Vietnam and the fastest route from the region to Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai city.
The 57.8-km expressway, invested in by Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC), runs through the Mekong Delta province of Long An, Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai. Its endpoint connects with National Highway 51 and the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway, about 10 km from Long Thanh International Airport.
The project, which began in July 2014 with total investment of 29.59 trillion VND (nearly 1.14 billion USD), forms part of the southern key economic region and the North-South expressway network.
According to Pham Thanh Hai, Director of the Southern Expressway Project Management Unit (SEPMU) under VEC, the project has been completed and is being cleaned and prepared for operation. The appraisal council is scheduled to meet on September 30 to decide on putting the entire route into operation.
The expressway includes more than 20 km of bridges and flyovers, notably the Binh Khanh and Phuoc Khanh cable-stayed bridges. Each has 155-metre-high towers and a 55-metre navigational clearance, allowing vessels of more than 30,000 tonnes to pass.
The project resumed after being suspended from 2019 to 2023 due to objective reasons, with nearly 30 km opened in the first half of 2025. The Phuoc Khanh Bridge, the final link, was successfully load-tested on September 25, enabling the entire expressway to be connected.
Under the traffic plan, all automobiles except oversized and overloaded vehicles will be allowed to use the expressway. Speed limits will vary by section, ranging from 80 to 90 km/h, with a minimum speed of 60 km/h.
Special safety rules apply to the Binh Khanh and Phuoc Khanh bridges during adverse weather.
Heavy trucks over 7.5 tonnes and passenger vehicles with more than 29 seats must use lane 2 on the bridges, while other vehicles may use both lanes.
The expressway is expected to shorten travel between the Mekong Delta and Long Thanh Airport, Vung Tau and the Cai Mep-Thi Vai deep-water port. Local residents have also expressed expectations that the new route will reduce travel time between Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai./.
