Ho Chi Minh City will prioritize the building of tramcar and metro routes and upgrade several major junctions to develop its public transport network and ease traffic jams, a local official has said.

The Deputy Director of the city’s Transport Department Bui Xuan Cuong made the announcement just before a conference, scheduled to take place Thursday, that will call for more investment in the city’s infrastructure.

The conference will be co-organised by the city People’s Committee and the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Cuong said that the city will seek investors for two tram routes, one from Nguyen Van Linh Road to Tan Thuan Bridge and District 2 and the other to connect the Quang Trung Software Park with Quang Trung Road and the Go Vap junction.

The department expects to attract investment in the form of build-operate- transfer (BOT) for both projects, which are estimated to cost a total of VND9 trillion (US$473.6 million).

Under its transport plan through 2025, HCM City will have six subway lines that will link the heart of the city with the centre of several districts. Each project will need an estimated 20-30 trillion VND in the form of BOT, build-transfer (BT) and official development assistance (ODA).

In addition to the tram and metro projects, the city will also give priority to upgrading a number of junctions, especially at Hang Xanh, Cay Go and Dan Chu, where traffic jams regularly occur at peak hours.

Cuong said that the department is planning to either enlarge the junctions, or build tunnels or overpasses. Each project will cost between VND300-400 billion to complete, said the official.

Elevated roads also top the list of priority projects that are calling for investment, he said, stressing that this is an extremely effective solution as the city lacks the space needed for roads to be enlarged.

Currently, urban roads account for just 5-7 percent of the city’s land area, much lower than the 20 percent needed for its traffic to run smoothly.

According to the official, four elevated roads, which will require as much capital as the metro projects, will be looking for investment in the forms of BOT, BT or ODA.

Source:tuoitrenews