According to the Department of Transport, the city has implemented 16 projects to improve traffic to the airport.
Recently, a flyover has been opened to traffic in Quang Trung-Nguyen Oanh-Nguyen Thai Son intersection, Go Vap district. Formerly, vehicles must take 30 minutes to travel through the area. It is only 10 minutes now.
A flyover branch is expected to be built by the end of June to partly solve traffic congestion in Hoang Minh Giam-Nguyen Thai Son-Nguyen Kiem intersections.
In addition, Phu Nhuan district is now carrying out site clearance and compensation works for a project to broaden Hoang Minh Giam street in the fourth quarter this year.
Hoang Hoa Tham and Cong Hoa streets' expansion in Tan Binh district is scheduled to start in the same quarter and to be completed next year. Site clearance and compensation are underway to upgrade Truong Chinh and Tan Ky Tan Quy streets in Tan Binh and Tan Phu districts.
Besides road expanding, the Department of Transport has rationalized traffic segregation in and outside the airport, install more traffic and road signs to prevent traffic jam. A priority lane has been opened in Truong Son street for vehicles to reach the airport.
Moreover, Tan Quoc Hoan street are planned to be broadened. Two way traffic will be resumed in Hau Giang and Thang Long streets.
In the airport, traffic has been adjusted from Road A1 to Truong Son street while places for taxi cabs to pick up passengers have been re-arranged scientifically.
So far, 47 cameras have been installed in the airport and surrounding streets to help police force keep a close eye on the areas’ traffic conditions and take rapid actions to prevent traffic jams.
Unlikely radical solutions
Associate Professor Nguyen Trong Hoa said that newly built flyovers and broadened streets in the Tan Son Nhat Airport area might be overloaded again with the fast mechanical population increase in the city. In fact, traffic jam has returned in many streets soon after expansion.
Mr. Hoa said that the Government should assist the city to build and organize dedicated roads to important areas of the city such as international airports to reduce pressure on urban street network. That way has been applied in many countries in the world.
He suggested building a flyover system linking the airport up to spots in ring roads to connect with neighboring provinces. The connectivity spots in the ring roads should be calculated carefully for passengers from other provinces or from HCMC outskirts to travel to the airport advantageously.
About anti-flooding operations, HCMC Steering Center for Urban Flood Control Program plans to complete site clearance and compensation works next year to start a project to dredge A41 canal with the aim of reducing flooding for the airport.
The city People’s Committee last year approved a World Bank financed project to dredge Hy Vong canal and now instructs relevant agencies to implement the project.
Meantime, the Ministry of Transport has been building a 1.3 hectare water reservoir in the airport to reduce flooding.
