Ho Chi Minh City authorities will open the Thu Thiem 2 Bridge, connecting Thu Duc City and District 1, to traffic on April 30, Bui Hoa An, deputy director of the municipal Department of Transport, said on Thursday.

Work on the cable-stayed Thu Thiem 2 Bridge, which spans nearly 900 meters over the Saigon River and is valued at VND3.08 trillion (US$134.8 million), started in 2015. 

Its pylon rises 113 meters above water and it is wide enough for four car lanes, two motorcycle lanes, and pedestrian walkways in both directions.

Construction work on the bridge is nearly complete, with current plans calling for it to be put into service on April 30. 

Only the construction of a shoulder and the technical infrastructure system on Ton Duc Thang Street still need to be completed, according to An. 

Workers will return the surface of Ton Duc Thang Street to its normal state before the opening of the Thu Thiem 2 Bridge, An said.

At a press conference on Thursday, the transport deputy director also announced the inauguration of the city’s first electric-bus route on March 8 and the construction of other key projects, including the second branches of the Kenh A Bridge and Kenh B Bridge and the expansion of Dong Van Cong and Tran Dai Nghia Streets.

Regarding the completion of the metro line No. 1 project that runs from Ben Thanh Market in District 1 to the Long Binh Depot in Thu Duc City, An said that its trial run will be conducted during the third quarter of this year. 

It is expected that the 19.7-kilometer metro line will be officially operational either at the end of the third quarter or the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2023.

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