HCM City to improve road, drainage to ease traffic, flooding problems

HCM City to improve road, drainage to ease traffic, flooding problems

HCM CITY — HCM City is taking steps to improve road and water drainage infrastructure to mitigate its traffic and flooding problems.

Construction of the second (Tunnel N 二) of a double tunnel under the An Sương intersection restarted on Wednesday after prolonged suspension due to land acquisition problems.

It was suspended in February last year when affected households refused to accept the compensation amount and move.

Tunnel N 二 will run  三 八 五 metres, taking traffic from Củ Chi District towards the city when it is completed by the end of July.

The  四 四 五m N 一 taking traffic in the opposite direction was finished in March  二0 一 八 after nearly  一 三 months of construction.

Work on the double tunnel costing VNĐ 五 一 四 billion (US$ 二 二. 二 million) began at the start of  二0 一 七 and was originally expected to be completed by the end of  二0 一 八.

It is expected to ease traffic flow at An Sương intersection situated between District  一 二 and Hóc Môn District, where traffic jams and accidents regularly occur during peak hours.

The intersection is a junction of several major roads like national highways Nos  一 and  二 二 and Trường Chinh Street.

In another development, the Japan International Co-operation Agency will provide nearly VNĐ 三 九 七. 五 billion ($ 一 七. 五 million) in the form of non-refundable aid to the city to reinforce old and degraded water drainage systems in urban areas using the sewage pipe renewal (SPR) method.

An agreement with the city for this is expected to be signed this month.

The work will cost VNĐ 四 六 七. 五 billion ($ 二0. 五 million).

It will upgrade and repair around  二. 七km degraded sewer system, mostly in districts  一 and  三, contributing to flood control and prevention in the central areas.

The use of SPR will prevent the blocking of traffic flow during the construction.

About  一00 kilometres of old sewers in the city need upgrades.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on strengthening management capacity in urban railway system in HCM City is expected to be signed soon.

The MoU will be signed by the city’s Urban Railway Management Board, Urban Railway No  一 Limited Company and Japanese railway company Tokyo Metro. — VNS