Hundreds of tractor-trailers were stuck in serious congestion on Phu My Bridge in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday as several sections of the bridge were blocked for repair works.

The bottleneck on Phu My Bridge, connecting District 7 and Thu Duc City, began at around 3:00 pm and worsened during the evening rush hours, according to the observations of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters.

Two sections of the bridge, each about 30 meters long, were partially blocked for repair works, which narrowed the structure and slowed down traffic.

The situation was further exacerbated when a tanker truck broke down and was unable to move for about an hour.

Mai Tien Dat, who was driving his car home after work, said he decided to wait for the situation to improve before getting on the bridge and continuing his journey.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport previously announced that the repair of Phu My Bridge would last from July 2 to October 4.

Traffic on the structure will be adjusted in three different phases to facilitate the repair works and to minimize traffic congestion.

Stretching more than two kilometers, Phu My is the largest cable-stayed bridge crossing the Saigon River in Ho Chi Minh City.

The construction cost nearly VND2.1 trillion (US$89.7 million) and was finished in 2009.

Phu My Bridge is one of the two routes leading to Cat Lai Seaport.

A large number of trucks and tractor-trailers travel on this bridge on a daily basis, thus the route is often susceptible to traffic congestion and accidents.

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