After 10 years of its construction, two sections of the Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway project, which passes through Ho Chi Minh City and the neighboring provinces of Long An and Dong Nai in southern Vietnam, are nearing completion and may be opened to traffic in November.

The 58-kilometer Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway, designed to feature four traffic lanes and two emergency lanes, is considered a key national project.

The project, which carries a price tag of some VND29.6 trillion (US$1.2 billion), was approved in early 2010 and got off the ground in 2014.

However, policy changes caused delays in 2019 and it was not until mid-2023 that the investor resumed construction.

The state-owned Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC), the investor of the project, last week proposed the Department for Roads of Vietnam temporarily open the two stretches of the expressway in November.

The first proposed section stretches for 3.4 kilometers, starting in Long An Province at an intersection of the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong Expressway, which links Ho Chi Minh City with the two neighboring provinces of Long An and Tien Giang, and ending at National Highway 1 in the southern metropolis.

The other spans 6.1 kilometers from the Phuoc An Intersection to the intersection of National Highway 51 in Dong Nai Province.

Meanwhile, the 18.8-kilometer stretch from National Highway 1 to the Nguyen Van Tao Intersection in Ho Chi Minh City was slated to open to traffic in the first quarter of 2025.

The opening of the two sections in 2024 will mark an important milestone for the key expressway project, which is meant to connect the southeastern region with southwestern localities.

The section of the Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway connecting with the My Yen Intersection in Long An Province is nearly complete, revealing its smooth concrete surface, according to the observation of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters.

Besides, traffic signs and lights have been installed along the stretch.

When the 3.4-kilometer section opens to traffic, vehicles heading to Ho Chi Minh City from the southwestern region along the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong Expressway can enter the Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway at the My Yen Intersection to avoid traffic congestion.

Similarly, the 6.1-kilometer section of the Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway will help ease traffic jams facing the National Highway 51 Intersection in Dong Nai Province.

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