Deputy chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Bui Xuan Cuong has approved the start of construction for a pedestrian bridge across the Saigon River on March 29.

This river-crossing footbridge will connect Bach Dang Wharf Park in District 1 to a riverside park near Nguyen Thien Thanh Street in the Thu Thiem New Urban Area in Thu Duc City. 

Cuong green-lighted a plan to appraise and approve the feasibility report for the project. 

He also gave his nod to using part of the park in Thu Duc and the Bach Dang Wharf Park in District 1 for the execution of the project, requiring minimizing the occupied area. 

Relevant agencies are responsible for proactively coordinating with the investor to implement the project.

The Ho Chi Minh City vice-chairman tasked the People's Committees of District 1 and Thu Duc City, and the Thu Thiem Urban Area management board with handing over the land to the investor – Ho Chi Minh City-based Nutifood Nutrition Food Joint Stock Company.

Nutifood is responsible for receiving and managing the construction site, restoring existing technical infrastructure affected during the construction, and handing it over to the management units once the work is completed.

Ho Chi Minh City will establish a working group for the project led by the director of the Department of Transport.

The Department of Transport was asked to promptly report issues arising during the project development to the municipal administration.

In October last year, the Ho Chi Minh City administration approved the project building a pedestrian bridge spanning the Saigon River with a total investment of VND996.9 billion (US$39 million) funded by Nutifood.

The pedestrian bridge would be located between Ba Son Bridge and Saigon River Tunnel.

The walkway is about 261 meters long, including its cable-stayed main span stretching 187 meters long, and has a steel girder design.

It will be equipped with traffic lighting and drainage systems, an elevator system, and other utility works. 

The city also chose an architectural design featuring nipa palm imagery proposed by a consortium of Japanese-invested Chodai, Takashi Niwa Architects, and Chodai Kiso Jiban Vietnam for the pedestrian bridge.

The design got the highest score in a contest launched in 2019.

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