Containers being loaded at Cat Lai Port in HCM City. The Department of Transport has asked the city to give priority to six key transport projects to clear congestion on roads leading to ports. (Photo: VNA) Under thepublic investment plan for the 2021-2025 period, of the six projects, three arebeing developed, including the My Thuy intersection project and the other twounder the Ring Road 2 project.
The threenewly proposed projects would include one to build a six-lane 6.7km-long and60-metre wide North - South road (section from Nguyen Van Linh Road – Ba Chiem Bridge),with total investment of 7.013 trillion VND.
The other twoinclude a project to build the eastern belt route from Phu My bridge to My Thuyintersection (in Thu Duc city), with an investment of more than 1.2 trillionVND.
Anotherproject involves building an eastern ring road from My Thuy intersection to NguyenDuy Trinh - Ring Road 2 intersection, expected to cost more than 1 trillion VND.
These newlyproposed projects will improve the connection between the Hiep Phuoc Port in NhaBe district and Cat Lai Port in District 2.
Thedepartment said the city should consider suspending or extending completion ofprojects that have been approved for 2016-2020 period but are not urgent.
Tran Quang Lam,director of the Department of Transport, said it was important to address thetraffic jams on roads leading to Cat Lai Port in District 2, especially NguyenThi Dinh street and the My Thuy intersection.
The city’sseaports extend through districts 2, 4, 7, 9 and Nha Be, he said.
Most roadsconnected to Cat Lai and Hiep Phuoc ports are seriously overloaded, includingNguyen Thi Dinh, Nguyen Duy Trinh and Nguyen Huu Tho roads, he added.
Ports locatedin the city centre, such as Cat Lai, Tan Thuan, Hiep Phuoc and Phuoc Longports, lack dedicated roads.
Architect VoKim Cuong, former deputy chief architect of HCM City, said that Hiep Phuoc and CatLai ports are the city’s largest ports, which face serious congestion. It isimportant to accelerate the closure of Ring Road 2 to clear congestion near theCat Lai port area.
Dr Nguyen Ba Hoang, vice rector of the HCM City University of Transport, saidthat rail and water transport connected to the ports should be developed toincrease the capacity of freight transport and reduce costs.
It is alsovital to close the ring road system and build dedicated railways to Cai Mep andCat Lai ports.
In a relatedmatter, the city will continue to move its ports to city outskirts to easecongestion on roads as well as build new ones under a national port master planfor 2020-2030.
Cat Lai Port,situated in the eastern gateway, has long been a traffic congestion hotspotwith an average of 16,000-17,000 trucks making trips to it daily.
According tothe city Maritime Port Administration, between 19,000 and 20,000 trucks eachday enter and leave Cat Lai Port through Vo Chi Cong, Nguyen Thi Dinh and DongVan Cong roads.
There aretimes when 26,000 vehicles are going in and out the port a day, causing trafficjams in the port area./.
VNA
