The Department of Construction recently submitted a pre-feasibility study report for the Cat Lai - Phu Huu inter-port road project to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee. This report, which connects to the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway and Ring Road 3 interchange, followed a planning review and incorporated feedback from relevant agencies.

This new 6 km long, 60-meter-wide road will begin near the Truong Van Bang intersection on Nguyen Thi Dinh street and terminate at the junction of Ring Road 3 and the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway.

Traffic congestion on Nguyen Thi Dinh street, near Cat Lai Port – the project's starting point, 9/2025. Photo: Giang Anh

The project includes the construction of Ba Cua bridge, featuring 10 lanes – six main lanes and two parallel service roads – with a design speed of 60 km/h. A four-lane elevated bridge will be built for the section from Phu Huu Port to the expressway and Ring Road 3 interchange, providing three connection points to lower road sections. All interchanges and technical infrastructure, including drainage, utility trenches, sidewalks, greenery, and lighting, will be developed concurrently.

Funded by the state budget, the project has an estimated total investment of 8,782 billion dong and will be divided into two components. The first component, valued at over 1,350 billion dong, will cover compensation, resettlement support, and technical infrastructure relocation. The second component, estimated at over 7,400 billion dong, will focus on construction and installation.

Following the completion of appraisal and approval procedures, site clearance and compensation are scheduled to begin in Q1/2026, with construction commencing in Q4 of the same year and completion expected by the end of 2028. To ensure this timeline, the Department of Construction urged the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to instruct relevant agencies to collaborate with businesses whose land is within the project's scope, ensuring timely compensation for affected areas.

An artist's impression of the inter-port road interchange with the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway and Ring Road 3 upon completion. Photo: Department of Construction

Cat Lai Port is currently Ho Chi Minh City's busiest cargo port, handling 85% of southern port traffic and 50% nationwide. Phu Huu Port, just 3 km away, also manages a substantial cargo volume. Consequently, surrounding roads such as Nguyen Thi Dinh, Vo Chi Cong, Dong Van Cong, and Nguyen Duy Trinh frequently experience congestion, making this one of Ho Chi Minh City's most complex traffic zones.

The Department of Construction states that the new Cat Lai - Phu Huu port connection, linking to the Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway and Ring Road 3, will establish a dedicated transportation corridor. This corridor will directly connect the port area with inter-regional routes, significantly reducing congestion and accidents. The road is also expected to transform transportation in eastern Ho Chi Minh City by diverting heavy vehicles away from residential areas, thereby enhancing the logistics chain efficiency for the entire Southern key economic region.

Giang Anh