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| National Highway 51 will be upgraded to an urban expressway or expanded to meet the high traffic volume and heavy transport needs of the area. |
Damaged road surface, drivers fear accidents
As a vital route connecting Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai and Ba Ria - Vung Tau , National Highway 51 continues to deteriorate and be seriously damaged. Cracks, peeling, sagging, potholes and deep ruts have directly affected the safety and traffic of people and transport companies.
According to Road Management Area IV, the entire route has about 235,000m² of damaged road surface, of which 130,000m² is in Dong Nai and 105,000m² is in Ba Ria - Vung Tau. The most seriously damaged areas are concentrated in the Tan Cang quarry area and the section near roundabouts 51B, 51C in Ba Ria City.
Mr. Le Thanh Tu, a container driver on the Ho Chi Minh City - Cai Mep port route, said the section from Tan Cang quarry to Long Duc intersection is very difficult to travel, the road surface is bumpy, the vehicle shakes constantly. "When it rains, it is easy to lose control or fall into a hole because the potholes are full of water, making it difficult to see, and easily causing an overturn when braking suddenly. Bad roads seriously affect delivery time and driving safety," said Mr. Tu.
Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh, Director of Road Management Area IV, said that to overcome the deterioration on National Highway 51, the Vietnam Road Administration will simultaneously implement repair projects in 2025. From June 2025, the project to renovate the roadbed, road surface and safety system from Km05+395 to Km46+580, including the Song Buong bridge deck, with a budget of 28.6 billion VND will start. In September 2025, the project to repair the section from Km0+900 to Km20+700 and renovate the concrete surface at toll station T1 will also be implemented.
In Ba Ria - Vung Tau, the Department of Construction is the investor of the project to repair the section from Km39+800 to Km48+990 with 20.72 billion VND, focusing on reinforcing the foundation, handling local damage, and adding drainage.
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| Construction unit is repairing and patching the road surface in Phu My City. |
Upgrading National Highway 51 into a large-scale urban road
In the long term, the transport sector is planning to upgrade National Highway 51 into an urban expressway or expand the existing scale to meet the increasing traffic volume and heavy transport characteristics of the area.
Currently, Highway 51 has a maximum speed limit of 90 km/h in many sections, putting increasing pressure on infrastructure, road surface and traffic safety. Upgrading this route will help separate lanes, reduce traffic conflicts and create a more effective transport corridor connecting Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai and Ba Ria - Vung Tau.
When the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway is gradually completed, the synchronous connection with National Highway 51 will improve the efficiency of the connection between the expressway and Cai Mep - Thi Vai international port, contributing to the development of logistics and attracting investment in industrial parks along the route. Experts assess that if invested properly, National Highway 51 will become the main axis of the Southeast economic corridor, reducing the load on overloaded routes and promoting urban and industrial development in Dong Nai, Phu My and Vung Tau.
Regarding this issue, the Ministry of Construction has sent an official dispatch to the People's Committees of Dong Nai and Ba Ria - Vung Tau provinces, requesting coordination in studying the plan to upgrade National Highway 51 into an urban expressway. According to the Road Network Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, National Highway 51 is planned as a Grade I road with 6 lanes, starting from National Highway 1 in Bien Hoa City and ending in Ba Ria City. Converting National Highway 51 into an urban road will bring this route into the local road system invested and operated by the provinces.
Article and photos: TRA NGAN
Source: https://baobariavungtau.com.vn/kinh-te/202505/quoc-lo-51-can-cuoc-dai-tu-toan-dien-1044023/
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