An artists' render of Me So Bridge, one of five set to be constructed to ease congestion in and around Hanoi. — Vietnam News/ANN
HANOI: The municipal authorities of Hanoi will carry out bridge construction projects in the coming years to realise urban development plans along both sides of the Hong River and in the provinces and cities in the Capital Region.
The five bridges that were identified as investment priorities include Hong Ha, Me So, Thuong Cat, Van Phuc and Tu Lien.
These bridges will play an important role in the city’s transport infrastructure system connecting many urban areas with ring roads.
Particularly, the two bridges of Hong Ha and Me So are located on Ring Road 4, an important route for the development of the Capital Region.
Hong Ha Bridge will be built about 11.5km upstream from the current Thang Long Bridge, in Hong Ha Commune of Dan Phuong District.
Once completed, Hong Ha Bridge will contribute to reducing the density of vehicles passing through Thang Long Bridge, shortening connection time and enhancing trade between western Hanoi and adjacent provinces.
Me So Bridge is also located on Ring Road 4, spanning the Red River.
The bridge will cross Huu Hong Dyke in Thuong Tin District and cross the Red River, and then cross Ta Hong Dyke in Van Giang District of Hung Yen Province.
Me So Bridge is a link that will contribute to reducing vehicle traffic entering Hanoi inner city area as well as increasing the operational efficiency of both expressways and reducing travel time between Hanoii and Hung Yen District.
According to head of the Financial Planning Division (Hanoi Department of Transport) Phan Truong Thanh, Hong Ha and Me So bridges are located on Ring Road 4, so they will quickly be invested in and built along with the overall progress of the "great project" of the Capital Region.
At the meeting at the end of Oct 2022, leaders of Hanoi, Hung Yen and Bac Ninh provinces agreed on design plan, scale and scope of site clearance for these two bridges, Thanh said.
At present, districts in the southwest region of the city such as Phuc Tho, Thach That, Quoc Oai, Chuong My and Ung Hoa have a fast pace of urbanisation and industrialisation.
However, the transportation system in the region mainly relies on a number of provincial and district roads built in the 70s-80s last century. Traffic connections across the Red River are mainly on Thang Long Bridge to Noi Bai-Lao Cai Highway and Vinh Thinh Bridge to National Highway 2C.
Under the Capital Transport Planning and the Transport Development Plan of Vinh Phuc Province approved by the Prime Minister, Van Phuc Bridge in Van Phuc Commune of Phuc Tho District will be built over the Red River connecting the North-South route with Ring Road 5 in Vinh Phuc Province.
Van Phuc Bridge will contribute to improving the regional transportation system by opening an additional transportation route across the Red River to connect Vinh Phuc Province with Hanoi.
Meanwhile, Thuong Cat Bridge located on Ring Road 3.5 will open a new development direction for the northwest gateway of Hanoi.
Thuong Cat Bridge and Ring Road 3.5 will contribute to reducing traffic volume for Ring Road 3 and create a "core axis" for urban development in the west of Hanoi, as well as ensure transportation infrastructure conditions to serve the chain of industrial parks and urban areas along the route in the future.
However, the development towards urbanisation in the northern area of the Red River is facing many difficulties due to the unfavourable transportation system connecting Hanoi centre and surrounding areas. At present, travel is mainly on Thang Long and Duong bridges.
Therefore, investing in the construction of Tu Lien Bridge and the road leading to Ring Road 3 was extremely necessary, Thành said.
Once completed, this project will quickly connect the northern and northeastern areas of the Hong River, and Thai Nguyen Province through the Hanoi-Thai Nguyen Expressway, with the core urban area and open a new route reducing the traffic load on Chuong Duong, Long Bien and Thang Long bridges. — Vietnam News/ANN
