Ho Chi Minh City's Largest Interchange Faces Year-Long Delay Due to Land Acquisition Issues

The completion of the An Phu intersection project in Ho Chi Minh City, one of the city's largest infrastructure developments, has been postponed by another year due to ongoing land acquisition issues. The project, with a total investment exceeding VND 3.4 trillion (approximately $133 million), now targets completion in the third quarter of 2027. This marks the second delay for the An Phu intersection, which was initially slated for completion by the end of 2025 and later rescheduled to the second quarter of this year. A representative from the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board, the project's investor, cited the primary reason for the delay as the failure to hand over more than 2.2 hectares of land along Luong Dinh Cua Street. This parcel is crucial for the construction of the N1.2 elevated bridge section, which will connect Luong Dinh Cua Street to the Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway. The 2.2-hectare area involves approximately 64 households and organizations requiring compensation and relocation. The land is simultaneously linked to three other projects: the An Phu Development Urban Area, the expansion of Luong Dinh Cua Street, and the An Phu intersection itself. Legal complexities surrounding compensation and land clearance have persisted for over a decade, creating a significant bottleneck for all related construction efforts. Following a site inspection and directives from the Chairman of the City People's Committee in March, the city issued a plan for compensation, support, and resettlement for this land parcel, mandating its completion by November 30 this year. Once the land is cleared, contractors will proceed with relocating technical infrastructure such as electricity and water supply to commence construction of the N1.2 bridge and widen Luong Dinh Cua Street. If the land is handed over as planned, the N1.2 bridge section is expected to be completed within approximately five months. The entire An Phu intersection is projected to be finished by the second quarter of 2027, with final handover and settlement in the third quarter of the same year. For components not affected by land acquisition, the investor stated that contractors are focusing on construction to enable partial operation. The N4 bridge, allowing right turns from Dong Van Cong Street onto Mai Chi Tho Street, is anticipated to open by the end of July. The N1.1 bridge, enabling left turns from Mai Chi Tho Street towards Vo Nguyen Giap Street onto the Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway, is scheduled for operation in early October. Ancillary works, including landscaping and the installation of cameras and auxiliary structures, are targeted for completion in November. The An Phu intersection project broke ground in 2022 with an investment exceeding VND 3.4 trillion. The project features a three-level design, including an underpass and multiple overpasses connecting surrounding major roads. Several sections have already been completed and opened to traffic, such as the overpass for right turns from the expressway onto Mai Chi Tho, the two-way underpass connecting Mai Chi Tho to the expressway, the left-turn bridge from Mai Chi Tho into Dong Van Cong, and the Ba Dat and Giong Ong To bridges. Located at the eastern gateway of Ho Chi Minh City, the An Phu intersection connects the Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway with Mai Chi Tho, Luong Dinh Cua, Nguyen Thi Dinh, and Dong Van Cong streets. It also serves as a crucial link to Cat Lai Port and connects to Dong Nai province, frequently experiencing severe traffic congestion, especially during peak hours. The continued delays raise concerns about increased traffic pressure at the eastern gateway, particularly with the Long Thanh International Airport expected to commence operations later this year. Information Source: VnExpress