As of around 6 a.m. on July 26, the connecting route to the Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thanh – Dau Giay Expressway was blocked, forcing vehicles to turn around.
That lead to significant gridlock at the area of An Phu Intersection, particularly on the connecting route to the expressway. As result, thousands of vehicles were stuck in a prolonged traffic jam.
It was reported that the congestion first appeared on Mai Chi Tho Street, continued through the An Phu roundabout, and quickly reached adjacent roads such as Nguyen Thi Dinh, Vo Chi Cong and the parallel road along the expressway.
By around 8 a.m., the gridlock reached its peak. It took ten to 15 minutes for drivers to inch forward only a few meters.
Trucks, containers and private cars crowded the road leading to the expressway, leaving motorbike riders struggling to get through the dense traffic. Many forced to the sidewalks to escape.
The situation created traffic disorder, particularly in the area of An Phu Intersection.
Traffic police were present early at key congestion points to direct and regulate traffic flow. However, the overwhelming volume of vehicles posed high pressures to manage the traffic order.
This morning’s severe congestion was primarily owing to the ongoing ban on motorbikes on the An Phu – Vo Chi Cong section of the expressway access road, along with the under construction expansion project of the expressway access road. The roadwork has reduced the available road surface, limited traffic capacity.
Sai Gon Giai Phong (SGGP) Newspaper has not yet received any response even though the reporters attempted to contact Vietnam Expressway Services Engineering Joint Stock Company (VECE), the operator of the Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thanh – Dau Giay Expressway, regarding vehicle restrictions from Ho Chi Minh City to Dong Nai Province.
The Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thanh- Dau Giay Expressway has just resumed normal traffic on July 25 after finished expansion joint repair on Long Thanh Bridge.
Previously, the repair works had caused persistent, serious congestion for over ten days, especially on weekends, severely affecting travel and freight movement in the area.
