ADB Project To Help Unclog Vietnam Capital's Traffic Jams

January 24, 2008 9:35 p.m. EST

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (AHN) - Four ring roads are planned to decongest downtown Ho Chi Minh City, encircling the city at a radius of about five to 10 kilometers from the center and diverting heavy truck traffic from the port area south.

"Completing this road will go a long way toward easing congestion," said Paul Vallely, Senior Transport Specialist of the Asian Development Bank's Vietnam Resident Mission.

The Second Ring Road is just about complete, except the eastern section and a segment of the western section still to be completed. The technical assistance will have two components - a feasibility study for the construction work required to complete the Second Ring Road and assistance for the management of the Ho Chi Minh City urban road network, which is the responsibility of the Department of Transport and Urban Public Works.

It will be a marked improvement on traffic in one of the fastest growing economies in the world that posted an 8 percent expansion in 2006, the ADB said on its website. Industry and services contribute more than 90 percent of the growth.

Ho Chi Minh port's trade volume grew by more than 15 percent in value in 2006.

At the same time, rising incomes mean more families able to afford cars that are expected to clog the capital's streets.

The Japan Special Fund will provide a $1 million grant to prepare a feasibility study while Vietnam will contribute $250,000 to the project that will be managed by ADB.