Accident 'black spot' at Saigon gateway removed after 20 years

After the An Suong underpass was opened to traffic, combined with traffic reorganization, the "black spot" of accidents at the Northwest gateway of Ho Chi Minh City for nearly 20 years has been eliminated.

This is one of three accident "black spots" in the area that the Department of Transport has just announced to be removed on August 1. An accident "black spot" is considered a place where two serious accidents (with fatalities) occur in a year; or three or more accidents, including one serious accident; or four or more accidents, with injuries.

In addition to An Suong intersection, the remaining two points were also removed: Ba Thang Hai Street, from Le Dai Hanh to Ta Uyen (District 11) and Thoai Ngoc Hau - Luy Ban Bich intersection (Tan Phu District). These are two points that have arisen recently, while An Suong intersection has been on the list of areas with frequent accidents for nearly 20 years.

An Suong Intersection, 2020. Photo: Gia Minh — An Suong Intersection, 2020. Photo: *Gia Minh*

An Suong intersection borders District 12 and Hoc Mon district, next to An Suong bus station and is the intersection of National Highways 1, 22, and Truong Chinh Street. These routes have high traffic density, especially heavy trucks, as they are the main artery connecting the Northwest of the city with the central area.

According to statistics from the City Traffic Safety Committee from 2011 to 2015, there were 8 accidents at An Suong intersection, killing 9 people and injuring one person. In particular, in 2018 and 2019, there were 5 accidents at this intersection, killing 6 people and injuring two.

Previously, in 2002, Ho Chi Minh City put into operation an overpass on Highway 1, helping to reduce intersections in different directions. However, traffic jams and accidents at the intersection continued to occur, so in 2017, the city continued to build a two-way underpass along Highway 22 - Truong Chinh Street, completed after three years. These projects helped An Suong intersection become a three-level intersection, combined with traffic separation, renovation of small islands around the intersection, installation of traffic lights... to help stabilize traffic in this area.

According to the Department of Transport, although 3 accident "black spots" were eliminated, three new spots arose in the area, so there are still 9 spots in total in the city, an increase of two spots compared to 2020. The newly emerged spots include: Kinh Duong Vuong Street, from house number 466 to 486 (Binh Tan District); Nguyen Van Linh - National Highway 50 intersection (Binh Chanh District); in front of house 834 Le Duc Tho (Go Vap).

In the near future, the city will add a system of signs, traffic diversion and regulation, install cameras to issue fines, and increase the handling of violations to eliminate these "black spots"... In particular, the My Thuy intersection (Thu Duc City) is waiting for the completion of the second phase of the bridge and road construction project here to resolve the accident situation that has lasted for many years.

Statistics show that in the first half of this year, 783 accidents occurred in the city, killing 296 people and injuring 470. Compared to the same period last year, the number of accidents decreased by 259, and the number of deaths and injuries decreased by 37 and 198, respectively.

Gia Minh

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