Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh Expressway traffic jam lasts more than 5km due to bridge repairs

On the afternoon of September 16, the first day of the week coincided with the time when authorities were repairing the expansion joints of Long Thanh Bridge on the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway, causing a traffic jam of more than 5km on this expressway.

Traffic on the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh Expressway section passing Long Thanh Bridge was always red on Google Maps on the afternoon of September 16 (Photo: Google map).

Over time of operation, the expansion joint at pillar P20, Km12+228 Long Thanh bridge has broken rails, if not repaired promptly, it will cause unsafe construction. Therefore, from September 5, (VEC E - the management unit of the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway) must temporarily block off part of the bridge deck from Dong Nai to Ho Chi Minh City to repair the expansion joint.

Having to temporarily "straighten" a lane on Long Thanh bridge for repairs caused traffic congestion and long traffic jams on the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh expressway from Dong Nai to Ho Chi Minh City.

According to Dan Tri reporters on the afternoon of September 16, bridge repair work is still going on, many workers are working on the bridge surface with machinery and construction materials. Behind is a long traffic jam, moving slowly to cross the bridge.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoai Phuong, Deputy Director of Vietnam Expressway Engineering Services Joint Stock Company (VEC E - the unit managing the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway), the expansion joint on the left lane of Long Thanh Bridge has been completely repaired. The construction unit will move to the right lane (from Dong Nai to Ho Chi Minh City) to continue construction.

About 500m from the bridge repair site, the two lanes from Dong Nai to Ho Chi Minh City will be "straightened" and vehicles will have to go in the same lane. Therefore, this area becomes a "bottleneck" point, which is also the main cause of traffic jams on the highway.

After 10 days of implementation, the construction unit has adjusted, installed new expansion joints, poured concrete at the joint between the expansion joints and the bridge deck. Currently, workers are continuing to construct the right lane of the expansion joints.

On Monday afternoon, the number of vehicles on the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh expressway from Dong Nai to Ho Chi Minh City increased significantly, making the congestion even more serious.

Traffic jam from Dong Nai to Long Thanh bridge is about 5km long, the opposite direction is clear.

Vehicles were stuck on the bridge because of the increasing number of vehicles.

At 6 p.m., traffic jams on Long Thanh bridge from Dong Nai to Ho Chi Minh City still persisted.

The Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway is 55km long, has 4 lanes, and two emergency lanes, passing through Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai, and has been in operation since 2015. On the route, Long Thanh Bridge across the Dong Nai River, connecting Thu Duc City to Long Thanh District, is the largest bridge. The bridge is more than 2.3km long, 19.7m wide, has 4 lanes, and a design speed of 100km/h.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/cao-toc-tphcm-long-thanh-ket-xe-keo-dai-hon-5km-vi-sua-cau-20240916192436722.htm