What are the two proposed options for building a tunnel to replace the Cat Lai ferry?

The consulting firm proposed two options, including building the Cat Lai tunnel at a cost of only about 9-10 trillion VND, requiring less land acquisition and minimizing impact on residents.

Regarding the construction of a bridge to replace the Cat Lai ferry connecting Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City, at a recent meeting with the leaders of the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee, representatives of Fecon Joint Stock Company and its partner, Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co.STEC, proposed a plan to build a tunnel under the river instead of the bridge.

The current location of the Cat Lai ferry.

According to a representative of Fecon Joint Stock Company, building a tunnel instead of a bridge will minimize difficulties and obstacles in land clearance. It will also reduce the social impact on residents living in the project planning area. Furthermore, the tunnel construction will avoid impacting the existing waterway transportation system and the operation of Cat Lai Port.

The consulting firm has proposed two options for constructing the river tunnel and provided timelines and estimated costs for the cheapest and fastest option.

The cheapest option has a total investment of only 9-10 trillion VND and a construction time of no more than 2 years. There are two options for constructing a tunnel under the Dong Nai River: an open tunnel section on the Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai side, and a closed tunnel section crossing the river. Both options propose two parallel tunnel lines.

Option 1 will have 8 lanes, with 4 lanes in each tunnel, and a design speed of 80 km/h. Under this option, the route length will be over 2.3 km. The construction will involve enclosed tunnels, open tunnels, and two shaft pits (underground construction shafts) located in vacant land areas, minimizing land acquisition and avoiding disruption to existing roads.

Option 2 proposes a 6-lane road with 3 lanes per tunnel, and a total length of over 1.7km. In this option, the enclosed tunnel, open tunnel, and two shaft pits are located on existing roads, Ly Thai To and Nguyen Thi Dinh, thus eliminating the need for land acquisition during tunnel construction. However, this option will impact traffic on these two routes.

According to a representative from Fecon Joint Stock Company, the proposed options are only suggestions for the locality and lack complete and detailed data on geology and related planning. Therefore, the company will conduct further research to select the most suitable option.

According to Mr. Nguyen Bon, Deputy Director of the Department of Transport, the Cat Lai Bridge project has been assigned by the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee to the Provincial Project Management Board for Investment and Construction of Transport Works for research and coordination with Ho Chi Minh City to develop an implementation plan.

In fact, this bridge has been planned for a long time, but it has not yet been implemented, despite the eager anticipation of the leaders of Dong Nai province and its people. However, the proposed plan has mainly focused on building a bridge connecting the two localities, while the unit's idea of ​​building a tunnel is completely new.

Therefore, the leaders of the Department of Transport requested that the enterprise provide a detailed report so that the Department can coordinate with the Provincial Project Management Board for Investment and Construction of Transport Works to select the most suitable and effective solution. At the same time, Fecon Joint Stock Company needs to work and connect with relevant agencies in Ho Chi Minh City to propose ideas.

Other units argue that businesses must provide specific data to complete the report and proposals submitted to the authorities. Furthermore, a more detailed analysis and comparison between bridge and tunnel construction options is needed to make an appropriate choice. Particular attention should be paid to the total investment cost.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/hai-phuong-an-de-xuat-xay-ham-thay-pha-cat-lai-ra-sao-192241129190301082.htm