Officials are considering expanding roads and building underpasses to alleviate frequent traffic gridlock at a vital intersection in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City.

The traffic hot spot, which is locally referred to as the ‘junction of the fallen martyrs,’ is where four roads, namely Xo Viet Nghe Tinh, Nguyen Xi, Ung Van Khiem, and National Highway 13, meet and cross each other.

The junction lies on an essential route connecting downtown Ho Chi Minh City with Thu Duc District and District 9.

It is also near the busy Mien Dong (Eastern) Bus Station.

Such a location makes the intersection highly susceptible to serious traffic jams, especially during rush hours, which is a nightmare to commuters on a daily basis.

Traffic police officers are always present at the spot to help ease the gridlock, but they are sometimes helpless if the situation becomes too serious.

“Traffic on Ung Van Khiem Street is often chaotic in the evening. I often get stuck in endless bottlenecks during this time of the day,” Van, a local resident, complained.

Meanwhile, Hoang Khiem, a motorbike taxi driver, said that Xo Viet Nghe Tinh Street is always congested regardless of the time.

Vehicles coming out of alleys along the road exacerbates the problem.

Traffic jams at the hot spot sometimes leads to congestion in nearby areas.

According to Vo Khanh Hung, deputy director of the municipal Department of Transport, all streets at the junction have become overloaded.

Many short-term measures have been taken but the efforts were not enough, Hung continued.

Once the Mien Dong Bus Station is moved to District 9, traffic in the area will be less busy.

The first phase of the construction of the new station has been complete and the facility is expected to become partially operational in mid-January 2019, the official stated.

Other long-term solutions include expanding Ung Van Khiem Street, turning the junction into a roundabout, and constructing an underpass at the hotspot, he elaborated.

Ung Van Khiem will be 30 meters wide and have six lanes, said Nguyen Ba Lan, director of the Binh Trieu JSC, which is in charge of improving traffic infrastructure at the junction.

The roundabout will have a diameter of 22.5 meters, while the underpass will last up to 100 years, Lan said.

The plan has been evaluated and approved by the city’s transport department, he continued, adding the construction is expected to begin in early 2019.

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