The sudden surge in vehicles resulted in severe traffic congestion at major gateways heading to the city, particularly in the eastern and western areas of Ho Chi Minh City.
Prolonged traffic congestion was reported on the Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thanh – Dau Giay Expressway, the approach roads to the Ho Chi Minh City– Trung Luong Expressway, the Phan Thiet – Dau Giay Expressway, National Highway No.51, the Cat Lai ferry terminal area in Nhon Trach District of Dong Nai Province, National Highway 1A through Binh Chanh District, Kinh Duong Vuong Street through Binh Tan District and others.
Traffic volume on Rach Mieu Bridge was reported to increase by five times compared to normal days.
In addition to National Highway No. 60, several key routes heading to Ho Chi Minh City from Mekong Delta provinces and cities also experienced severe traffic jam on April 7 late, including the Ho Chi Minh City – Trung Luong Expressway at the section between Ho Chi Minh City and Long An, National Highway No.50 through Long An and Tien Giang provinces, the N2 route and National Highway 1A through Long An Province.
The high volume of returning travelers made commuting extremely difficult, with prolonged delays and traffic jams.
Traffic police forces continuously regulated traffic to help ease pressure and restore order on the roads.
Beyond severely-congested expressways and national highways, passenger volume also spiked at Ho Chi Minh City’s major coach terminals, Mien Dong (Eastern) and Mien Tay (Western) Coach Stations, as people returned to the city after the holiday.
A representative from Mien Tay (Western) Coach Station reported that the number of buses arriving at the station from noon to late evening on April 7, increased by around 30 percent compared to regular days.
The surge in passengers added to the overall traffic pressure.
According to Rach Mieu BOT Company, the bridge was designed to serve around 6,000 vehicles per day. However, during holiday periods, the number of vehicles surges by four to five times.
On April 5, April 6 and April 7, the traffic volume over Rach Mieu Bridge exceeded 25,000 vehicles per day, causing persistent traffic jams on the bridge and along National Highway No.60, which connects the provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta.
A representative from the Ben Tre Provincial Police said that on April 7, the unit worked with the Tien Giang Provincial Police to implement temporary roadblocks and traffic diversions, especially at key bottlenecks like Rach Mieu Bridge.
Vehicles were allowed to alternate one-way traffic, with each direction taking turns every 30 minutes, on this bridge. BOT tollbooths were regularly shut down while ferries were added to transport vehicles across the Tien River.
Despite these efforts, traffic congestion on Rach Mieu Bridge remained unresolved by the evening of April 7 due to the extremely high traffic volume.
To resolve the congestion on Rach Mieu Bridge, the most effective solution is to accelerate the construction of Rach Mieu 2 Bridge, said traffic participants.
On April 7, Director of the My Thuan Project Management Board Mr. Tran Van Thi announced that the overall progress of the Rach Mieu 2 Bridge project, which connects Tien Giang and Ben Tre provinces, has reached nearly 83 percent.
The main span of the bridge is scheduled to be connected on April 30, and the entire project is expected to be completed and open to traffic in 2025.
Once operational, Rach Mieu 2 Bridge is expected to significantly reduce traffic pressure on the existing bridge, especially during holidays and peak travel periods.
