Today (May 22nd), the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport, in coordination with relevant units, reorganized traffic around the An Phu intersection construction site (Thu Duc City).

Specifically, cars traveling from the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway are prohibited from turning right onto Nguyen Thi Dinh street between 6-9 am and 4-7 pm.

Alternative route: Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thanh – Dau Giay Expressway access road → Do Xuan Hop → Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway parallel road → Nguyen Thi Dinh or Mai Chi Tho → D1 Van Minh Residential Area → Than Van Nhiep → Nguyen Thi Dinh.

From 6 AM to 10 PM, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transportation also prohibits parking on Than Van Nhiep Street, D1 Street, and D2 Street in the Van Minh residential area.

Parking and stopping are prohibited on D2 road (section from D1 road to the extended Than Van Nhiep road).

Trucks weighing over 2.5 tons are prohibited from entering Than Van Nhiep Street and D1 Street between 6 AM and 10 PM.

z5428366664334_4e5a7c760bfc89bdc52bdcc33ed82f20.jpg
The Mai Chi Tho Boulevard, passing through the An Phu intersection, is currently undergoing a 3.4 trillion VND project and frequently experiences traffic congestion during rush hour. Photo: Chau Giang

On May 15th, the Ho Chi Minh City Investment and Construction Project Management Board for Transportation Works (Transportation Board) occupied a portion of the road surface at the Dong Van Cong - Mai Chi Tho intersection to construct enclosed tunnel sections as part of the An Phu intersection construction project.

Vehicles with 4-7 seats, buses, and motorbikes traveling on the mixed-use lane of Mai Chi Tho Boulevard in the direction from Vo Nguyen Giap Street towards the Saigon River tunnel are prohibited from turning left from Mai Chi Tho Boulevard onto Dong Van Cong Street.

Instead, authorities have opened a new intersection on D1 Street in the Van Minh residential area - Mai Chi Tho Street, approximately 200 meters from the Dong Van Cong Street intersection. These types of vehicles are now organized to make a U-turn at the Mai Chi Tho - D1 intersection in the Van Minh residential area to enter Dong Van Cong Street. From there, they will proceed towards Vo Chi Cong Street, Nguyen Thi Dinh Street, and other roads.

At the An Phu intersection, cars traveling towards the Saigon River tunnel and Vo Nguyen Giap Street are prohibited from turning left onto Luong Dinh Cua Street, helping to reduce traffic congestion. Cars wishing to turn left onto Luong Dinh Cua Street are directed to drive straight along Mai Chi Tho Street and make a U-turn before the B overpass at the Cat Lai intersection.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport, traffic problems have arisen following the traffic reorganization plan to open the D1 intersection in the Van Minh residential area - Mai Chi Tho.

The volume of traffic from Nguyen Thi Dinh Street through Than Van Nhiep Street, D1 Street, and D2 Street in the Van Minh residential area is very high. These streets also experience parking along both sides, causing obstruction and hindering traffic flow.

In addition, traffic conditions at the intersection of Nguyen Thi Dinh Street and the parallel road to the Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway are relatively complex during morning and afternoon rush hours.

Therefore, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport and related units organized a survey and agreed on the above traffic reorganization plan to reduce traffic congestion during the implementation of the An Phu intersection project.

An Phu is the largest intersection in Ho Chi Minh City, connecting major traffic arteries including the Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway, Mai Chi Tho Boulevard, Luong Dinh Cua Street, Nguyen Thi Dinh Street, and Dong Van Cong Street. It is also the gateway to Cat Lai – the country's largest port in terms of cargo volume – resulting in a high volume of container trucks, averaging over 20,000 per day.

For many years, this area has been a traffic congestion hotspot at the gateway to Ho Chi Minh City. To address this situation, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee approved and commenced the An Phu traffic junction construction project at the end of 2022 with a total investment of over 3,400 billion VND.

The project is a three-tiered structure, including a two-way underpass connecting the Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway with Mai Chi Tho Street (near the Saigon River tunnel), and extending further through the Mai Chi Tho - Dong Van Cong intersection. Above ground, the intersection features two overpasses for vehicles turning in different directions; at ground level, there is a central roundabout and a symbolic tower.

Specifically at the Mai Chi Tho - Dong Van Cong intersection, in addition to the extended underpass, two overpasses have also been built to connect these routes. The existing Giong Ong To bridge on the Dong Van Cong route also has two additional branches built alongside it to increase its area.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport expects to complete three construction packages in 2024, including the Ba Dat Bridge, the Giong Ong To Bridge, and the HC1 Tunnel, to help alleviate traffic congestion in the area.

The interchange will be largely completed by 2025, meeting the transportation needs of the people.

Traffic jams stretching for kilometers at the An Phu intersection before traffic reorganization : Thousands of vehicles of all types lined up on the roads leading to the An Phu intersection to access the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh expressway.