Shorten the time for repairing and upgrading National Highway 51.

On April 23, the Center for Planning, Construction Inspection and Road Maintenance (Dong Nai Department of Construction) announced that it had worked with the contractor and agreed to shorten the repair and upgrade time for National Highway 51; the units also implemented many solutions to reduce traffic congestion on the route.

Prolonged traffic congestion on National Highway 51, the section passing through Dong Nai province, on the afternoon of April 18, 2026. Photo: Cong Phong/TTXVN

According to the original contract, the repair and upgrade of National Highway 51 was scheduled to begin in March 2026 with a construction period of 120 days, but this has now been shortened to 100 days. To shorten the construction time, the contractor is mobilizing a large workforce and nearly 200 machines and equipment to work day and night. Besides accelerating the progress, the units are also strengthening inspection and supervision to ensure the quality of the project.

In addition, relevant units have fully deployed signage and traffic lights; strengthened traffic control and diversion forces at congestion points. The scope of barricades has been narrowed, construction is not spread out, and each section is completed decisively. Coordination with functional agencies in Ho Chi Minh City has been carried out to organize early and distant traffic diversion to guide vehicles to choose alternative routes, limiting concentration on National Highway 51.

According to the Center for Road Planning, Construction Inspection and Maintenance, National Highway 51, over 70 km long, runs from Dong Nai to Ho Chi Minh City. This route experiences extremely high traffic volume (approximately 70,000 vehicles per day and night, exceeding the design capacity by three times). The route includes numerous industrial zones and seaports; currently, vehicles transporting construction materials for Long Thanh Airport, the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway, the Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway, and many other key transportation projects all travel on National Highway 51.

Previously, due to limited funding, repairs to National Highway 51 were only temporary patchwork and lacked uniformity. From mid-2025, Dong Nai province took over the management of a 37km section of National Highway 51 passing through its territory; the road is in a severely damaged and degraded condition, posing a serious traffic safety hazard.

In 2026, Dong Nai province plans to repair and upgrade the entire section of National Highway 51 passing through the province with a total budget of over 660 billion VND; this is the largest and most comprehensive repair and upgrade project to date. The repair and upgrade of National Highway 51 will be carried out in two phases; the first phase involves the construction of a 22 km section, costing approximately 360 billion VND. During construction, the contractors are required to erect barriers and close lanes, which narrows the road surface and significantly increases the risk of traffic congestion.

According to the Center for Road Planning, Construction Inspection and Maintenance, repairing and upgrading National Highway 51 is an urgent matter; contributing to ensuring traffic safety and facilitating the movement of people and vehicles. Currently, various units have implemented numerous solutions to minimize traffic congestion on National Highway 51; the community needs to be understanding and sympathetic to the unavoidable inconveniences arising during the road construction process.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/rut-ngan-thoi-gian-sua-chua-nang-cap-quoc-lo-51-20260423164219635.htm