HCM City unveils ambitious plans for road system

March 09, 2011 | 15:30

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By 2020 Ho Chi Minh M City will add three belt roads, seven express highways, two main urban boulevards, and four sky-roads with 25 tunnels and bridges, its top transport official has said.

illustration photo

Speaking at the 35th anniversary of the establishment of the Transport Department on March 8, its director Tran Quang Phuong said: "All existing ports will be moved out of the downtown area and new one will be built. Around 200 million tonnes will be transported through the city's ports by that time."

City agencies also expect to complete six underground and three tramway routes and monorail system by then.

Attention would be paid to parks and green spaces, with new 46 parks measuring 716 hectares planned to be built. The average green space per resident would be 10 – 12 square metres.

But to achieve such ambitious goals, implementation of transport works should be accelerated and existing transport infrastructure should be exploited more efficiently.

"Diversifying capital sources for transport infrastructure and improving efficiency of capital are vital."

Developing public transport, especially urban railway, should be a top priority.

Public transport had served 544 million passengers last year, 10 times the 2002 figure.

However, by the end of last year, the city also had around 4.5 million motorbikes and 445,000 automobiles, while another million motorbikes and 60,000 cars came from neighbouring provinces every day.