Ho Chi Minh City is seeking approval to spend more than VNĐ15.5 trillion (US$590 million) on widening two major roads and rehabilitating a polluted canal at the city's western gateway. The projects are intended to ease traffic congestion, improve drainage and reduce flooding.
The municipal People's Committee submitted amended plans for the three projects to the city People's Council. The revisions expand their scope to match rapid urban growth. Earlier proposals involved smaller budgets and limited upgrades that did not meet the area's growing needs.
Widening Tân Kỳ Tân Quý Road will cost nearly VNĐ6.48 trillion (US$246 million). The group A project will run from 2027 to 2032 and include land acquisition. It will cover a 2.9-kilometre section between the Bình Long and Cộng Hòa intersections, connecting western districts with Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport and major industrial parks.
The road will be widened to 30 metres, with six lanes on a 20-metre carriageway, a central divider, 4.5-metre pavements, lighting, landscaping and underground drainage.
The city also proposes upgrading the Phan Anh, An Dương Vương corridor between Hòa Bình and Bà Hom streets at a cost of more than VNĐ4.326 trillion (US$164 million). The two-kilometre work is planned for 2027 to 2032. The existing road is about seven metres wide, and inadequate drainage has made the corridor a flooding hotspot. It will be widened to 30 metres.
The city will rehabilitate Bàu Trâu Canal to improve drainage, reduce pollution and improve living conditions nearby. The project will cover the section from Tân Hóa Canal to Phan Anh Street.
The group A project is estimated to cost more than VNĐ4.744 trillion (US$180 million) and is scheduled for completion by 2031. The canal has long suffered from severe organic pollution, heavy siltation and illegal encroachment, contributing to flooding in surrounding residential areas.
The project will rehabilitate a 1.066-kilometre section while retaining a 10-metre-wide open drainage channel reinforced with prestressed concrete embankments. It also includes a 20-metre-wide service road, a linear park in Phú Thạnh Ward and underground cable ducts. About 3.82 hectares of land will have to be acquired.
Rapid population growth in the western areas has increased pressure on roads, drainage and other infrastructure. Low-lying terrain also leaves the area vulnerable to flooding during heavy rain and high tides. The three projects are intended to improve transport connectivity, address flooding and pollution and support development in the western gateway.
Sources: Viet Nam News
