Rach Chiec 2 bridge to be opened to traffic before Tet
Rach Chiec 2 bridge on Ring Road No. 2 is scheduled to be fully up and running before the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday (Tet), which kicks off on February 8.
The bridge, whose name might be changed, was technically opened to traffic on December 29 last year. Vu Kien Thiet, director of Urban Traffic Management Unit No. 2 under the transport department, said the bridge is expected to be put into full use before January 30.
The bridge is built in two phases, with a three-span steel arch bridge measuring 868 meters in length constructed in the first phase. The bridge consists of four lanes and costs VND871 trillion (over US$38.75 million).
After the bridge is completed, motorcycles, passenger cars and vans under 3.5 tons are allowed to travel on the road section toward the bridge to reduce traffic density on Hanoi Highway and Mai Chi Tho Street. Trucks to Saigon Hi-Tech Park (SHTP) will move from Phu My Bridge to Rach Chiec 2 Bridge to enter the park.
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Once completed, the bridge project will help develop Ring Road No. 2 into a complete road network connecting SHTP and seaports including Cat Lai and Hiep Phuoc.
The bridge will shorten the distance between SHTP and Tan Cang-Cat Lai Terminal by six kilometers to about eight kilometers compared with the route via Hanoi Highway, as well as facilitate traffic on Hanoi Highway and in downtown HCMC.
The HCMC Department of Culture and Sports has proposed the city government rename Rach Chiec 2 Bridge as Phu Huu.
The road naming council under the department has asked the city government to seek approval from the city’s People’s Council for the name Phu Huu.
According to the department, there were four names initially proposed for the bridge. Representatives of the road naming council, the Department of Transport and the authorities of District 9 agreed to pick Phu Huu at their recent meeting. But the selection should be approved by the HCMC People’s Council.
