Elevated Ring Road 2 to ‘rescue’ inner-city congestion
Hanoi’s Department of Transport proposed to the municipal People’s Committee to consider the investment policy and pre-feasibility study report for the project to expand the Lang Road section from Nga Tu So to Cau Giay, with a total estimated investment of more than VND 21,000 billion, including the lower section with a cost of about VND 17,000 billion and the elevated section of VND 3,895 billion.
The Department has proposed to divide the project into two separate sub-projects. The lower section is expected to cost more than VND 17,000 billion, including VND 16,700 billion for site clearance and about VND 541 billion for construction.
The elevated section is classified as a Group A project, with a total investment of (expected) VND 3,895 billion.
The project to build the elevated Ring Road 2 (flyover) section from Nga Tu So to Cau Giay has its starting point at the intersection with the Ring Road 2 flyover constructed at Nga Tu So Intersection; the endpoint is at Cau Giay Intersection, with a total length of about 3.8 km, a cross-section width of 19 m. It is designed as an urban arterial road with a speed of 80 km/h, and the study proposes synchronous construction of intersections according to the planning.
Nga Tu So Interchange. Photo: Truong Hung
Ring Road 2 is a 43.6 km long inner-city closed traffic route in Hanoi, running through the following points: Vinh Tuy – Minh Khai – Dai La – Nga Tu Vong – Truong Chinh Street – Nga Tu So – Lang Road – Cau Giay – Buoi – Nhat Tan – Vinh Ngoc – Dong Hoi – Gia Lam underpass – Hanel Industrial Park – Vinh Tuy. The two Red River bridges on Ring Road 2 are Vinh Tuy and Nhat Tan, and the Duong River bridge is Dong Tru.
Currently, Ring Road 2 is fully open to traffic in the outer areas. In the inner city, only the Nga Tu So – Cau Giay section (along the current Lang Road) with a length of nearly 4 km remains to be widened and the elevated road to be constructed.
In the inner area, the completed sections of Ring Road 2 have greatly contributed to reducing traffic congestion. Typically, the Vinh Tuy Bridge – Nga Tu So section, with a total cost of about VND 9,400 billion, was started in April 2018.
Ring Road 2, Vinh Tuy Bridge – Nga Tu So section. Photo: Truong Hung
The Vinh Tuy – Nga Tu So route, considered a traffic hotspot in the capital, has been somewhat resolved thanks to the Ring Road 2 flyover and the Vinh Tuy 2 Bridge project.
However, the Nga Tu So Intersection is still often congested during peak hours because vehicles traveling on the Ring Road 2 flyover from Vinh Tuy Bridge to Truong Chinh have to go down to the lower section (Lang Road) at a bottleneck, causing traffic conflicts. Therefore, the implementation of the 4 km elevated section from Nga Tu So to Cau Giay is an important “piece” for the entire project.
“When Ring Road 2 (from Vinh Tuy Bridge to Truong Chinh) is opened to traffic, vehicles will flow faster, but Nga Tu So is like a narrow drain, which leads to congestion,” said Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thuy, a transport expert, to the Labor newspaper.
In addition, the 6.4 km long Ring Road 2 section from Nhat Tan – Xuan La – Buoi – Cau Giay, with a total investment of VND 6,400 billion, has also helped to relieve traffic pressure on Pham Van Dong Street and Thang Long Bridge, halving the travel time from Nhat Tan to Cau Giay.
The urgency of completing Ring Road 2
Ring Road 2 is one of the seven ring roads of Hanoi and is a very large project, constructed over 20 years with a total cost of more than $2 billion. Some typical works on Ring Road 2 include: Nhat Tan Bridge (VND 13,500 billion); Hoang Sa – Truong Sa Street (VND 6,600 billion); Vo Chi Cong Street (over VND 6,600 billion); the central intersection of Long Bien district (VND 2,800 billion)…
Nhat Tan Bridge is a typical work on Ring Road 2. Photo: Viet Linh
Many Hanoi residents expressed their desire for the authorities to speed up the implementation of the projects and soon complete the ring roads, especially Ring Road 2.
“The section from Nga Tu So to the end of Lang Road is still severely congested due to the bottleneck, and if it is widened soon and the elevated section is completed, traffic will surely be smoother,” said Mr. Nguyen Anh Toan, a resident of Dong Da district, Hanoi.
The intersection at the foot of Nhat Tan Bridge connects the surrounding connecting roads with Ring Road 2. Photo: Viet Linh
Not only the people but also transport experts agreed on the urgency of this project in solving the congestion at Nga Tu So Intersection and completing the infrastructure of the entire Ring Road 2.
Transport expert Phan Le Binh said to the Dantri newspaper that the project to connect and increase the capacity of the Ring Road 2 flyover in Hanoi from Nga Tu So to Cau Giay is necessary and needs to be implemented soon.
In the near future, when the Ring Road 2 flyover from Nga Tu So to Cau Giay is completed, the infrastructure of the entire route will be synchronous, and the “black spot” of traffic congestion in the city will be relieved.
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