A project to expand a 600-meter section of Luong Dinh Cua Street in Thu Duc City, under Ho Chi Minh City, remains unfinished even though the project was launched in as far back as 2001, making the area a bottleneck at the city’s eastern gateway.

In July 2001, the then-Vietnamese prime minister issued a decision to take back over 87.3 hectares of land and hand it over to Ho Chi Minh City Urban Development Service Company, now known as Thu Thiem Real Estate JSC, to conduct the An Phu Urban Area project.

The company used over 85 hectares of the land to develop the key technical infrastructure of the urban area and the remaining 22,000 square meters to expand the Luong Dinh Cua Street section within the confines of the urban project.

The 600-meter street section starts at an intersection with Nguyen Hoang Street and ends at the under-construction An Phu Intersection.

As per the approved plan, the street section would be widened to 30 meters with six lanes.

However, Thu Thiem Real Estate JSC has yet to work out a plan to expand the section, according to inspectors of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

The company has yet to complete compensation and site clearance work.

Meanwhile, the street section holds a crucial position in the city, experiencing a significant influx of traffic due to its strategic location.

During peak hours, it is severely congested.

Nguyen Thi Dieu, a resident of Thu Duc City who traverses the street section daily, voiced her frustration over the prolonged wait caused by traffic congestion.

Dieu highlighted that cars often form extensive queues at the section, aggravated by traffic lights lasting over 100 seconds.

Motorbike riders are compelled to navigate through the stationary cars, adding to the overall congestion.

“It is dangerous and exhausting to pass through the section,” she complained.  

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment has suggested that the municipal government delegate the responsibility for compensation and site clearance for the project to the administration of Thu Duc City.

Ho Chi Minh City vice-chairman Bui Xuan Cuong has urged Thu Thiem Real Estate JSC to promptly assess the funding required for compensating households affected by the project..

A representative of the Transportation Works Construction Investment Project Management Authority of Ho Chi Minh City told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the authority endorses the proposal put forth by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

They recommended that the authorities of Thu Duc City expedite the site clearance efforts, aiming to conclude the task before the third quarter of the upcoming year.

This targeted timeline is set to ensure the completion of the street section expansion by April 30, 2025.

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