The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Planning and Architecture must prepare draft regulations for managing construction works along the East-West Highway and submit them to the People’s Committee by the end of May, said City Chairman Le Hoang Quan.
He gave the instructions during a meeting held March 30 with local agencies to discuss management of construction projects along the highway as well as the Tan Son Nhat-Binh Loi Road and Hanoi Highway.
The three new axes span a total length of around 50 km and run through 10 HCMC districts, with the East-West Highway running through the downtown area.
The meeting agreed that managing construction works along these routes is of great significance to the overall structural landscape of the city.
In addition, said a representative of the planning and architecture department, regulations are needed to ensure the efficient use of land along the routes.
Implementing laws will also help protect the environment and provide a legal framework for local residents who want to repair or upgrade there homes near the roadways.
As proposed by the department, management regulations would apply to construction projects located 100-150 meters from each of the three roads.
Residents will still be allowed to make structural changes to their homes located on existing residential quarters, as per the city’s Decision 135, the department said.
Construction of new multi-storey buildings, however, will be subject to the new policies.
The regulations should include provisions for developing waterway tourism along Tau Hu-Ben Nghe canal, which runs along the East-West Highway leading to the Doi-Te canal, which connects the city to southwestern areas, Mr. Quan said.
The City Architects Association should work with the Vietnam Architect Association to help improve the draft regulations before submitting them to authorities for consideration, Mr. Quan added.
He also emphasized that construction works to be built along the East-West Highway must have a characteristic Vietnamese style with architectural value lasting at least one hundred years into the future.
The Department of Planning and Architecture should review all works along the highway to determine which ones should be preserved and which ones should be upgraded or reconstructed, he said.
In addition, materials used for works along the highway must meet criteria related to environmental friendliness, energy conservation, and adaptation to climate change.
As for regulations related to works along Tan Son Nhat-Binh Loi Road and Hanoi Highway, Mr. Quan said they should be complete by the third quarter of this year.
He also ordered the establishment of a steering board to call for investment in construction projects in areas along the three routes.
Mr. Quan asked the Department of Planning and Architecture and the departments of Planning and Investment to work together to propose policies to call for investment in areas along the three axes.
He ordered the Finance Department, meanwhile, to survey State-owned factories and warehouses located along the East-West Highway to ensure they are being used properly and efficiently.
For premises found being used ineffectively, the department must report to authorities and the structures will be reallocated for other purposes, Mr. Quan said.
