The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport November 26 commissioned the HCMC Infrastructure Investment Joint Stock Company to broaden a stretch of the Hanoi Highway between Saigon Bridge and the Tan Van Crossroad to more than 100 meters.

HCMC will broaden a 15.7-kilometer stretch of the Hanoi Highway to ease the terrible congestion on it (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

The work on the 15.7-kilometer stretch, to be done under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract, will cost VND2.29 trillion (US$127 million) and take 36 months to complete.

Upon completion, the highway will be 153.5 meters wide between Saigon Bridge and Binh Thai Crossroad and 113.5 meters up to the Tan Van Crossroad.

In related news, the city People’s Committee ordered relevant departments and district people’s committees to pay compensation and clear the site to build the Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien metro route by early 2010.

For Districts 1, 9, and Binh Thanh the deadline to complete the task is the end of the first quarter and for District 2 it is April 30.