A series of projects in Ho Chi Minh City are behind schedule, some projects have not been completed after 10 years.

Many key projects invested by the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board are behind schedule, with some projects still not reaching the finish line after nearly 10 years.

In fact, over the past years, projects that were expected to resolve traffic congestion at the gateway to Ho Chi Minh City have been sluggish and progress has been slow. The common point is that they are all stuck in site clearance and relocation of technical infrastructure, plus the slow implementation, causing a clear decline in the efficiency of public investment. There are projects that have been implemented for 10 years but still have no completion date, causing increasing pressure on infrastructure and people have to endure constant traffic jams.

Construction began in 2016 but the My Thuy intersection project has yet to reach its completion. (Photo: Luong Y)

My Thuy intersection started construction in 2016 with a total capital of more than 3,400 billion VND, with the expectation of solving congestion at Cat Lai port.

The management board aims to hand over the entire site in the third quarter of 2025 and complete it by April 30, 2026. To date, the project has only achieved about 30% of the construction volume of phase 3.

Previously, the project was named by the Department of Construction in the list of construction projects that did not ensure progress, after the scaffolding collapse incident attracted public attention.

The slow construction due to site clearance problems has caused serious congestion, negatively affecting people's lives and causing great damage in terms of time and costs for businesses.

During rush hour, My Thuy intersection becomes a nightmare for people traveling through here.

According to records, at Dong Van Cong Street during rush hour, container trucks line up one after another, occupying all lanes, almost standing still. It is estimated that every day there are about 22,000 container trucks and heavy trucks passing through here, jostling with tens of thousands of private vehicles.

Due to the unfinished construction of My Thuy intersection, neighboring roads such as Dong Van Cong and Nguyen Thi Dinh are often congested. The image of long container trucks, moving slowly for hours on end, has become a nightmare not only for residents but also for drivers.

Construction started in April 2015, but to date the project to upgrade and expand Luong Dinh Cua Street is still littered with bunkers.

The slow progress situation also happened in the project to upgrade and expand Luong Dinh Cua Street in the East of the city. The 2.5 km long road, started in April 2015, was expected to reduce traffic congestion, but after more than 10 years, it is still in disarray. Barriers and bunkers are everywhere, blocking traffic, and workers are sparse, making people's travel risky.

The project has a total investment of more than 800 billion VND, divided into two phases. Phase 1, from Nguyen Hoang intersection to Tran Nao roundabout, opened to traffic at the beginning of this year. However, phase 2, from Nguyen Hoang intersection to An Phu intersection, is still "inactive".

After nearly 3 years of construction, the total construction output of the An Phu intersection project (HCMC) has only reached about 70%, expected to be 12 months behind schedule.

Meanwhile, the An Phu interchange project - a modern project connecting the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway and Long Thanh Airport - has also been delayed. After nearly 3 years of construction, the output has only reached about 70%.

The HC1-02 underpass alone is expected to be completed by April 2026, nearly 19 months late. The new progress milestone for the entire project is the end of 2026, one year later than the original plan.

The Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board (HCMC Traffic Board) said that the main cause of the delay was due to difficulties in organizing traffic to serve the construction and issues related to the relocation of technical infrastructure. However, according to the Department of Construction's assessment, this was only part of the cause.

The delay in progress is largely due to the contractor’s lack of manpower, materials and equipment, causing disruptions to work. In addition, the lack of determination in dealing with weak contractors from the Transport Department has further aggravated the situation.

To ensure progress and synchronous connection with the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway and Long Thanh airport, the Department of Construction requested the Traffic Department to urgently review and re-evaluate all contractors, and at the same time have strong solutions to handle delayed construction units.

This committee was also asked to reorganize the detailed progress, increase human resources, materials and even apply the "3 shifts, 4 crews" construction method to make up for the slow progress.

Regarding this issue, the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has directed that the An Phu intersection project must be completed before December 31, 2025 according to Resolution No. 11/NQ-HDND dated April 22, 2021 of the City People's Council.

Although the site has been cleared, the project to expand National Highway 50 with a total capital of nearly 1,500 billion VND has not been able to reach the finish line.

Meanwhile, the National Highway 50 expansion project with a total capital of nearly 1,500 billion VND is also in a similar situation. Although the site clearance has been completed, after nearly 3 years of implementation, the main items are still slow, causing the route that was expected to reduce pressure on the southern part of the city to become a "new traffic jam hotspot".

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/loat-du-an-o-tp-hcm-cham-tien-do-co-cong-trinh-10-nam-van-chua-ve-dich-ar964863.html