The Swing Bridge over the Han River in Da Nang City (Photo: VNA)
Da Nang (VNA) - The central city of Da Nang plans to build a tunnel through the Han River to ease traffic congestion at junctions in Son Tra and Hai Chau districts.
The director of the city's transport department Le Van Trung said the tunnel is needed due to the increasing demands of transport vehicles and architecture planning in the city.
According to Bridge&Tunnel Consultants (BRITEC), who was assigned to develop some key tunnels in Vietnam by the transport ministry, the 6-lane tunnel in Da Nang will help reduce traffic jams, while not destroying the architecture of the Han River.
As scheduled, the 800m tunnel, which will be the first traffic route under the Han River, will be built with an investment capital of 3.3 trillion VND (157 million USD), of which 3.1 trillion VND is for construction of the tunnel section.
Chairman of the city's People's Committee Huynh Duc Tho said the tunnel is not the only solution to ease traffic overload, but it's a measure for the city's future.
He said the project must ensure the architecture, utility, safety of commuters as well as protect the river's banks and space.
The city also plans to build a bridge over the Han River to reduce traffic on the overloaded Han Swing Bridge.
Da Nang has built six major bridges across the Han River including Thuan Phuoc, the Han Swing Bridge, Rong (Dragon), Tran Thi Ly, Tuyen Son and Nguyen Tri Phuong, besides the old 1960s-built Nguyen Van Troi Bridge.
In 2013, the city's Rong (Dragon) Bridge, spanning the Han River, claimed the American Council of Engineering Companies' Diamond Award in the category for structural systems.
Da Nang has invested much in urban development to make it the largest city in the central region and a ‘green city' by 2025 with funds from the World Bank.
In 2013, the WB agreed to provide 202 million USD for a 272-million USD sustainable development project to help improve the city's Bus Rapid Transit network, build new roads, and revamp the existing drainage system.
The WB also funded a five-year priority infrastructure project by covering 70 percent of the total investment of 218.4 million USD in 2008 to 2013.-VNA
