Tan Ky Tan Quy Bridge across Tham Luong Canal in Binh Tan  District, Ho Chi Minh City officially opened to traffic on Tuesday after over six years of construction, facilitating residents’ commutes.

Residents eagerly gathered in the morning for the opening ceremony, celebrating the moment when the key bridge at the western gateway of the city would be put into use.

The bridge is expected to alleviate long-standing traffic bottlenecks during rush hours.

Kim Thoa, a 47-year-old resident of Binh Tan District, shared that locals had been looking forward to the Tan Ky Tan Quy Bridge since the project began in 2018. 

The prolonged traffic jams in the area had become a source of frustration.

“During the construction period, we had to use two temporary narrow iron bridges, which caused constant congestion, especially during rush hour in the afternoons," Thoa said.

“After the opening of the new bridge, we hope it will help reduce traffic jams and make travel easier.”

Trinh Linh Phuong, deputy head of the Transportation Works Construction Investment Project Management Authority of Ho Chi Minh City, the project’s investor, noted that the bridge connects with the expanded Tan Ky Tan Quy Street (completed in late 2024) to form a vital transportation axis linking National Highway 1 to Tan Son Nhat International Airport and the city center.

This link will ease traffic congestion and help complete the transport network in the city, contributing to its socio-economic development.

The Tan Ky Tan Quy bridge project was approved in 2023 with a total capital of VND491 billion (US$19.4 million). 

The bridge and its leading roads stretch 238 meters, with the bridge itself measuring 82.7 meters and featuring four lanes. 

It also includes sidewalks on both sides measuring 1.5 meters wide each, and stairs for pedestrian access.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Bui Xuan Cuong, deputy chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, emphasized that 2025 would be a year of high development demand, requiring the completion of many ongoing projects. 

The city is facing increasing traffic pressures, so it is vital to complete infrastructure projects to fuel socio-economic growth, he said.

The Tan Ky Tan Quy bridge project had initially been implemented as a BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) project from 2016 to September 2022. 

Work on the project started in early 2018, and by the end of the year, the bridge was 70 percent complete. However, the project was halted due to obstacles over land clearance. 

In September 2022, the municipal administration decided to terminate the BOT contract and switch to public investment. 

After a six-year pause, construction resumed in June 2024, and the bridge was completed six months later.

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