Ho Chi Minh City determined to handle illegal parking lots under bridges

On the afternoon of September 25, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction announced that the results of inspection and review showed that illegal encroachment, use, and construction under bridges still occurred in many locations, posing potential risks to traffic safety and fire prevention and fighting, despite repeated warnings and corrections by the authorities.

Specifically, at Phu My overpass (Tan My ward), some areas under the bridge have not been fenced, leading to spontaneous parking, garbage collection, and even factory construction. At Him Lam bridge connecting Binh Hung commune with Tan Hung ward, many households encroached on the bridge to live, do business, collect and burn garbage.

Parking lot under Ong Lon bridge, Nguyen Van Linh street, Binh Hung commune, HCMC

In addition, an illegal car park still exists in the project land of Him Lam Joint Stock Company. At Rach Ong Bridge (Tan Hung Ward), many motorbikes are illegally parked under the bridge, while the power lines and telecommunication cables are tangled, causing unsafety. Particularly at Lo Gom Bridge (Phu Lam Ward), the space under the bridge is used as a warehouse for materials and a construction waste collection site, affecting traffic safety and urban beauty.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction confirmed that the above-mentioned parking lots under the bridge were all spontaneous and unlicensed. Despite being dealt with many times, the re-encroachment situation still occurs. There have been no recorded cases of destruction of road infrastructure, but the encroachment locations still pose a risk of fire and explosion due to the accumulation of materials and waste.

Faced with this situation, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction will coordinate with the Ho Chi Minh City Police and local People's Committees to make a detailed plan to relocate all illegal parking lots under the bridge before October 30, 2025. New violations will also be handled within the same time limit. In the long term, the Prime Minister has approved a plan for 550.96 hectares of land for car and taxi parking lots in Ho Chi Minh City (Decision No. 568/QD-TTg dated April 8, 2013). However, so far, only 2.69 hectares have been implemented, reaching 0.5% of the plan, due to difficulties in site clearance and limited land fund in the central area. After the merger of boundaries, the city is re-establishing specialized technical infrastructure planning projects suitable to the new conditions.

According to the Department of Construction of Ho Chi Minh City, the parking demand of Ho Chi Minh City residents is currently very large, while the city lacks sports fields, especially for teenagers. Utilizing the space under bridges for parking lots or community activity fields will contribute to meeting essential needs, while still ensuring traffic safety and urban aesthetics if strictly managed. Therefore, the Department of Construction of Ho Chi Minh City recommends that the Ministry of Construction report to the National Assembly and the Government to consider amending the Road Law and Decree No. 165/2024/ND-CP, in the direction of allowing the Provincial People's Committee to decide on the use of road bridges for public purposes, on the condition that it does not affect the structure of the building, ensuring fire prevention and fighting safety, security, order and traffic.

Previously, SGGP Newspaper continuously published articles reflecting the situation of many locations under bridges in Ho Chi Minh City being occupied as parking lots, places to gather goods, and even turned into spontaneous business locations.

QUOC HUNG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tphcm-kien-quyet-xu-ly-bai-xe-trai-phep-duoi-gam-cau-post814759.html