New bridge connects port, highway

A newly built bridge that connects the Cat Lai Port and Ha Noi Highway in HCM City’s District 2 opened last Saturday, three months ahead of schedule.

The Giong Ong To 2 Bridge construction was part of a city project to widen Inter-provincial Road 25B that links the bridge to the port.

The HCM City Infrastructure Investment Joint Stock Company (CII) funded the VND612 billion (US$32 million) project, including VND150 billion ($7.9 million) for the bridge.

The three-lane bridge is 413.7m long and 12.5m wide.

Le Vu Hoang, CII’s general director, said severe traffic jams often occurred during rush hour on the road.

The bridge, built by Civil Engineering Construction Corporation No 1 (Cienco 1), is expected to help reduce traffic congestion on the road, where thousands of container trucks travel every day to the port.

According to the standing deputy chairman of HCM City People’s Committee, Nguyen Thanh Tai, the port now receives 12,000 trucks daily, up from 5,000 when it was first built.

“The city’s roads are increasingly congested. We have to do our best to deal with the increased demand,” he added.

The road stretches 5.3 kilometres, linking the city’s East-West Highway with Cat Lai Ferry Station.

The bridge will also help curb traffic congestion in other areas. Vehicles travelling over the Phu My Bridge toward the Ha Noi Highway can now transit over the Giong Ong To 2 Bridge, instead of the more heavily congested Sai Gon Bridge. — VNS

Tags: Cat Lai Port, Ha Noi Highway, Vietnam Infrastructure