HCMC – Dong Nai bridge construction all set to begin

Part of the city’s Ring Road No.3 and to cost more than VND1.8 trillion ($76 million), the main bridge will be 2.6 km long and 19.5 m wide, and have roads on either side running 5.6 km.

Of the total of 8.2 km of roads, only 1.9 km will be in HCMC while the rest will be in Dong Nai, according to the My Thuan Project Management Board, the agency overseeing the construction.

However, while the city has handed over almost the all the required land, Dong Nai has only transferred 1.1 km, Tran Van Thi, its director, said Tuesday.

He urged the province to complete the process soon so that the work would not be held up.

Vo Tan Duc, Dong Nai’s deputy chairman, said the project affects 470 families living on an area of 49 hectares and that is why the acquisition is slow.

His administration has instructed relevant agencies to complete the acquisition and resettle affected households before the end of next month, he said.

Once completed, Nhon Trach will be the second bridge between the city and the province after the Long Thanh Bridge on the HCMC – Long Thanh Expressway that opened to traffic in 2015.

The 90-kilometer (56-mile) Ring Road No.3 will connect HCMC with three of its neighbors, Dong Nai, Binh Duong and Long An provinces and allow travel between one another without the need to enter the city.

Its first phase is estimated to cost VND75.77 trillion ($3.19 billion), according to a pre-feasibility study submitted by the city to the government earlier this year.