The My Loi Bridge, spanning the Vam Co River in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, will open to traffic by the end of this month to help shorten the travel time and distance from Go Cong Town to Ho Chi Minh City.

The VND1.44 trillion ($63.36 million) bridge, which will replace a ferry service to link Go Cong Town and two neighboring districts, Go Cong Dong and Go Cong Tay, with the rest of Tien Giang Province, will cut the travel distance from the locality to Ho Chi Minh City by three-fourths, or 75 kilometers.

Previously, to get to Ho Chi Minh City, residents had to use a ferry service, which often takes hours to wait for the ferries to cross the Vam Co River, or make a detour to National Highway 1, which stretches the distance to about 100 kilometers.

But after the inauguration on August 29, which the bridge’s main investor, Project Management Unit No. 7, under the Ministry of Transport, has received approval for, the travel burden will be lifted.

Work on the 2.6-kilomter bridge linking National Highway 50, Can Duoc District (Long An Province) and Go Cong Town began in 2009 under the Build - Operate - Transfer model, but construction was halted for some time due to a money shortage. Work resumed 20 months ago.

As a result, the bridge’s investor will toll vehicles crossing the bridge for 28 years four months starting in November to recover the investment.

The 89-kilomoter National Highway 50 is the key route linking Ho Chi Minh City and the eastern coastal area of the Mekong Delta, including parts of the provinces of Long An and Tien Giang.

Currently, this route is being upgraded to help ease the traffic flow on National Highway 1.

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