Popular pass to Da Lat closed for upgrade

The Lam Dong Province Department of Transport on Monday said an 8-kilometer section of the highway that runs through the pass would be closed, and traffic would be re-routed in order for the area to be upgraded.

The project is expected to begin on February 10 and will continue for one year. The total investment cost is at VND552 billion ($23.5 million).

Vehicles entering Da Lat will be permitted to travel along Mimosa Pass, located about 10 kilometers from the Prenn Pass, as well as a road that connects the Lien Khuong-Prenn Highway with the Tuyen Lam Lake tourism area. However, trucks are banned from this particular route.

Once the upgrade is completed, the Prenn Pass will be 7.4 kilometers long, which will make it 3 kilometers shorter than what it is right now. The pass will be 14 m wide, twice as wide as it is right now, with four car lanes.

Local authorities plan to cut down over 6 ha worth of pine forest along the pass for the project.

The Prenn Pass, the entranceway to Da Lat from a multiple of localities in southeastern Vietnam, sees the highest level of traffic out of all roads leading into the city. There are dangerous curves along the pass; running alongside it are several popular tourist destinations such as waterfalls, lakes and the Truc Lam Monastery, which means congestion is frequent.