New route open to alleviate congestion at Ho Chi Minh City airport People travel on Bach Dang Street on the morning of August 30, 2016. Tuoi Tre A new route has been put into operation in the hope of relieving traffic overloads commonly seen at the entrance of the international airport in Ho Chi Minh City. The municipal Department of Transport on Tuesday officially opened the Tan Son Nhat – Binh Loi – Vanh Dai Ngoai (Outer Belt) route connecting Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Tan Binh District with Go Vap, Binh Thanh, and Thu Duc districts in the southern hub. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Vu Dinh Tan, a representative of South Korea’s GS Engineering & Construction Corporation, said the project was based on a build-transfer (BT) contract and had been completed after ten years. According to Bui Xuan Cuong, director of the Department of Transport, the route includes the newly constructed Pham Van Dong Street and the expanded sections of Bach Dang and Hong Ha roads. The new streets will link the aerodrome with several districts in Ho Chi Minh City as well as connect the southern metropolis with its neighboring Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, and Dong Nai provinces, Cuong continued. The project is expected to alleviate traffic congestion at the entrance to the airport and on nearby roads, the official added. Nguyen Van Vu, a resident on Bach Dang Street, expressed his support for the new route, stating that it would provide local citizens with more favorable conditions to travel to and conduct business operations in other parts of the city. However, many commuters have reported that gridlocks were still present at several traffic hotspots near the airport during rush hours. Some people have been travelling in the wrong lanes as they were unfamiliar with the new street, which has also been exacerbating congestion. To further relieve traffic pressure in the area, the municipal People’s Committee has funded more projects in a bid to permanently eliminate the problem, said Director Cuong. The Tan Son Nhat – Binh Loi – Vanh Dai Ngoai route is 13.6 kilometers long, beginning at the entrance of Tan Son Nhat airport and ending at the intersection of Linh Xuan Street and National Highway 1 in Thu Duc District. It comprises of the three-lane Bach Dang and Hong Ha Street and the 12-lane Pham Van Dong Street. The total cost of the project includes US$186 million worth of construction, channeled by investors, and VND6.7 trillion ($300 million) for land clearance, funded by the city budget.   TUOI TRE NEWS