Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee agrees to expand National Highway 13, promoting BOT project of more than 21,000 billion VND

The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has agreed on a plan to implement the BOT project to upgrade and expand National Highway 13 from Binh Trieu Bridge to the old Binh Duong border and assigned departments and branches to speed up the progress to resolve persistent traffic congestion at this gateway.

National Highway 13 has been frequently congested for many years, causing difficulties for people's travel - Photo: CHAU TUAN

Accordingly, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has agreed to the proposal of the Department of Construction regarding the detailed plan for implementing component project 2: Upgrading and expanding National Highway 13 (section from Binh Trieu Bridge to the former Binh Duong provincial border). The project will be invested under the public-private partnership method (BOT contract).

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, Nguyen Van Duoc, instructed relevant departments, localities, and units to prioritize and focus on their assigned tasks, ensuring progress according to plan.

According to this directive, the Department of Construction is assigned to act as the focal point to urge relevant units to comply with the content and schedule. If difficulties arise that are beyond its authority, it must report immediately and propose solutions to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee for consideration and guidance.

According to the Department of Construction's plan, component project 2 will be implemented with specific milestones: completion of the project preparation, submission for appraisal and approval (feasibility study report) in Q4 2025. Organizing the bidding process to select investors and signing contracts in Q1 and Q2 2026.

The design phase for post-design implementation will be completed in Q3 2026. Construction will commence in Q4 2026 and be completed and put into operation from 2028.

The project has a total investment of approximately 21,724 billion VND, of which over 14,700 billion VND is state capital and over 7,000 billion VND is mobilized capital. The expansion will increase the road from 4-6 lanes to 10 lanes, with a road surface width of 60m, a design speed of 80km/h, and will include tree planting and technical infrastructure development.

Additionally, according to the proposal from the Department of Construction, the project will also include a 3.2km elevated road with 4 lanes, along with parallel roads on both sides (speed limit 60km/h).

The construction project of National Highway 13 is one of five gateway BOT projects being implemented by Ho Chi Minh City under the mechanism of Resolution 98 of the National Assembly .

Prolonged traffic congestion on National Highway 13.

National Highway 13 is a vital transportation artery connecting the center of Ho Chi Minh City with the former Binh Duong province and the Central Highlands provinces. However, for many years, it has frequently experienced serious traffic congestion, especially at intersections such as Binh Trieu Bridge, Binh Phuoc intersection, and the area passing through Hiep Binh ward.

Narrow roads, high traffic density, and dense populations lead to prolonged traffic jams, significantly impacting daily life and the transportation of goods.

Recently, the Legal Affairs Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council conducted a field visit to identify traffic congestion points and proposed several temporary solutions to alleviate these bottlenecks while awaiting the implementation of the comprehensive expansion project.

CHAU TUAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ubnd-tp-hcm-thong-nhat-mo-rong-quoc-lo-13-thuc-du-an-bot-hon-21-000-ti-dong-20251024145512193.htm