Tan Son Nhat airport to build flyover to ease traffic congestion
The operator of Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City is trying to secure permission from the municipal government to build at least one flyover at its entrance to relieve traffic congestion there, according to local media.
Such a facility will help alleviate traffic jams which frequently occur on the two existing roads, Hong Ha and Truong Son, leading to the entrance area in Tan Binh District, Phap Luat TPHCM (Ho Chi Minh City Law) newspaper reported.
According to a written proposal of the airport’s authorities on overall transport infrastructure at the entrance, traffic via the two roads is very dense at this time.
Tan Son Nhat is currently Vietnam’s busiest airport as it handles around 20 million passengers a year, and is expected to become overloaded when it reaches its full capacity of 25 million by 2017.
In addition, the situation will worsen when the Tan Son Nhat - Binh Loi beltway is connected with the airport via the Truong Son intersection near the entrance, a Tan Son Nhat official said.
Even without the new beltway, the two roads are very crowded with frequent jams, especially during peak hours, Pham Vu Cuong, deputy director of the airport, told Phap Luat TPHCM.
If the proposed flyover is not built, it is obvious that the situation will become more complicated, Cuong added.
An investor has suggested modifying the design of the Truong Son intersection to reduce traffic congestion in the vicinity, but building overpasses would be better in that case, he added.
Flyovers are considered an effective measure to cope with traffic jams in Ho Chi Minh City, which now has six steel flyovers, built over the course of 2012-2013 in areas seriously affected by traffic congestion during rush hour.