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City gets boost in infrastructure
The new year will see HCM City's infrastructure system getting a much-needed boost when three major projects will be put into operation.
The East-West Highway and Thu Thiem Tunnel are expected to substantially reduce the city's traffic congestion, while the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe environmental hygiene project will help put an end to chronic flooding.
The highway and tunnel are scheduled to open to traffic in June, easing congestion through the city's Northeast-Southwest gates and the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta.
"This year will be a big milestone for the HCM City transport sector, which will have two major projects completed," the Deputy Head of the HCM City People's Committee, Nguyen Thanh Tai, said.
"These projects will ease traffic flow for the hundreds of thousands of vehicles travelling to the city centre daily," he added.
The completion of the highway is also expected to reduce traffic congestion within the city centre, for long a major headache for local authorities.
In addition, the East-West Highway will be significant to the city's socio-economic development as it will help urban development along the East-West corridor.
The highway and the tunnel will also enhance connections between the city's districts.
A plan is being worked out to link the East-West Highway with the HCM City-Trung Luong Highway in District 2 via Thu Thiem Tunnel.
Under the plan, the new travel time from District 2 to HCM City during peak hours will be cut by more than 30 minutes.
From an investor's viewpoint, the East-West Highway and Thu Thiem Tunnel will also help business connections between districts 2, 9 and the city centre.
In addition, the highway and the tunnel will pave the way for exploration of potential land sources in Binh Tan District and Binh Chanh Town.
The tunnel is expected to help increase the value of trade and real estate investment projects in east Sai Gon, according to Thai Van Men, General Director of Tan Tao Group, the investor of the Tan Tao resident area in Binh Chanh District.
"There are many international investment funds coming to Viet Nam that have their eye on projects along the East-West Highway," said Men.
The Thu Thiem Tunnel under the Sai Gon River connects districts 1 and 2, and is the most advanced transport facility in Viet Nam as well as Indochina.
Ring roads, new sewers
Projects to build ring roads of the city are also being planned, with the first to be completed in three years, starting this year.
The next two are expected to be carried out within a 10-year period, according to Tran Quang Phuong, Director of HCM City Transport Department.
The ring roads will help bring in more investors from neighbouring cities and from the provinces of Binh Duong, Long An, Dong Nai, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
The city also expects the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe canal project to be completed after five years of implementation.
Planned to be finished in September, the project, which has run behind schedule for years, will include a drainage system stretching across seven districts that have a total population of 1.2 million.
The replacement and extension of 62km of sewers running along roads in those districts have been built to help deal with flood and environmental problems in an area covering 33.2sq.km.
vietnamnews
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