The HCM City-Long Thanh- Dau Giay Expressway is expected to be widened to 10-12 lanes. (Photo: baodongnai.com.vn) HCM City (VNS/VNA) - The People’s Committee of the southern province of Dong Nai has petitioned Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to approve the widening of the Ho Chi Minh-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway to 10-12 lanes from four lanes.
Traffic congestion occurs regularly on a section of Highway No. 51 between HCM City and the province during peak hours and holidays, as well as the HCM City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway.
The additional lanes would ease congestion when Long Thanh International Airport is put into use.
Five years ago, the 55km-long HCM City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway opened, shortening travel time between HCM City and southeastern provinces to 20 minutes instead of 60 minutes.
It takes only slightly more than one hour to travel from the city to Ba Ria-Vung Tau province on the expressway.
However, drivers have been complaining about the slow speed on the road due to the high traffic density.
The expressway’s management board has frequently had to warn people to look for other routes.
According to the Vietnam Expressway Services Engineering Joint Stock Company, which manages the HCM City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway, between 40,000 and 43,000 vehicles operate on it on weekends and 60,000 on holidays.
The sites that often have traffic congestion are Long Phuoc and Dau Giay stations, branch D-Highway No. 50, inner roads connecting with Highway 51, and Mai Chi Tho and Vo Chi Cong streets.
According to the Vietnam Expressway Corporation, 10 million vehicles used the expressway in 2015, which has increased to 16.5 million now.
Bui Van Quan, chairman of the HCM City Goods Transport Association, said that the travel time had increased transport costs for enterprises and delayed deliveries.
Tu Nam Thanh, head of Dong Nai province’s Department of Transport, said that after the province asked the Ministry of Transport to widen the expressway to 10-12 lanes, the ministry instructed relevant agencies to suggest investment methods for the project./.
VNA
