After two years of construction, the Tham Luong – Ben Cat – Nuoc Len canal infrastructure and environmental improvement project, spanning 32km (64km for both sides), is entering an accelerated construction phase to complete the entire project by 2026.
To date, the construction progress of the 10 construction packages has reached 461 TP2T of volume. Some packages have completed road construction, embankment work, and drainage systems, ready for technical opening of phase 1 at the end of April to serve the transportation needs of the people and help alleviate traffic congestion on key routes by creating a new traffic axis running along the canal…
The Tham Luong – Ben Cat – Nuoc Len canal renovation project, with a total investment of approximately 9,000 billion VND from the central and city budgets, is considered the longest infrastructure upgrade and canal system renovation project in Ho Chi Minh City.
The project passes through 7 districts of the city, including District 12, Binh Tan, Tan Phu, Tan Binh, Go Vap, Binh Thanh and Binh Chanh district. Infrastructure along the canal route is being upgraded, simultaneously connecting Long An province via the Cho Dem River and Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces via the Saigon River. Upon completion, the Tham Luong – Ben Cat – Nuoc Len canal renovation project will create modern and synchronized canal-side infrastructure, improving the environment and quality of life for thousands of households affected by the project.
The project includes the construction of concrete embankments on both banks, dredging of the canal bed, construction of 8-12m wide roads along both sides, installation of drainage systems, traffic bridges, lighting systems, landscaping, boat docks, etc.
Two of the construction packages with high progress are packages No. 7 and No. 8 in Ward 14, Go Vap District. It was observed that in the section in front of Huynh Van Nghe Secondary School and Le Quy Don Primary School, facing the Tham Luong canal, groups of workers with road rollers and excavators were working intensively, in "3 shifts and 4 teams".
The construction unit had just finished laying the asphalt on a section of road over 200 meters long right in front of the two schools when the clock struck 11 PM. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phong, in charge of road compaction for the construction team of the contractor, Construction Corporation No. 1 – CC1, said: “Because we are entering the peak period, the workers are working day and night, partly to finish the work overnight so that the students can travel conveniently and easily, and partly to ensure the project's progress.” Some residents living near the construction site also happily shared that now motorbikes can travel smoothly on the asphalt road, where just two years ago it was a narrow dirt road next to a black, foul-smelling canal with garbage everywhere.
Nearby, construction is proceeding at a rapid pace on the section from Ben Phan Bridge to An Loc Bridge, the area under construction for package 10, also undertaken by CC1. Under the scorching sun, groups of construction workers and road rollers continuously lay and compact the road surface, while supervisory units check the subgrade elevation before asphalt paving to complete the entire 1.5km section of the road, in time for the technical opening to traffic on April 28th.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Infrastructure Investment and Construction Project Management Board (Infrastructure Board) – the investor: It is expected that on April 28th, the board will hold a technical opening ceremony for 6 sections of the project, approximately 6km long, belonging to packages 1, 7, 8, 9, and 10 in Districts 12, Go Vap, and Binh Tan.
Specifically, the affected areas include: the right bank of the Tham Luong canal in Ward 14, Go Vap District; the section in front of Huynh Van Nghe Secondary School and Le Quy Don Primary School in Ward 14, Go Vap District; the section from An Loc Bridge to Street No. 28 in Ward 6, Go Vap District; the section from Ben Phan Bridge to An Loc Bridge in Go Vap District; the section from Vam Thuat culvert to the end of the route connecting Go Vap District and District 12; and the section from the Nuoc Len culvert to An Lac Bridge in Binh Tan District.
The investor assesses that the immediate and long-term technical opening of the road infrastructure along both sides of the Tham Luong - Ben Cat - Nuoc Len canal, once completed, will connect branch roads in residential areas with the main road and national highway via the canal-side road, creating a new traffic route and relieving a large volume of traffic. It will also contribute to the formation of a synchronized system of green spaces and parks along the canal banks, creating a civilized, green, and clean urban landscape.
Mr. Dau An Phuc, Director of the Infrastructure Department, said that the Department, along with the team of engineers, construction units, and supervisory consultants, have urgently focused on overcoming difficulties and accelerating the construction progress. To date, they have basically completed items such as the construction of canal embankments, technical infrastructure (drainage system, technical trenches, etc.), and road construction. The city strives to complete the entire project by 2026.
Mr. Phuc acknowledged that the project has encountered numerous obstacles related to contractors, coupled with the scarcity and rising prices of construction materials such as sand and stone, which have impacted the overall construction progress.
Quy Hien, Nhan Dan Newspaper