Thong Nhat Bridge enters peak construction phase

According to the plan, Thong Nhat Bridge, the most critical component of the Bien Hoa Central Axis Road Project, is expected to open to technical traffic on February 3, 2026. As such, this period marks the peak phase for accelerating construction to meet the target.

Machinery and equipment have been mobilized to accelerate construction of the Bien Hoa Central Axis Road Project. Photo: Pham Tung

Nearly two weeks of final sprint

The Bien Hoa Central Axis Road is over 5.4 kilometers long and divided into two branches. Branch 1 begins at Vo Thi Sau Street and ends at Dang Van Tron Street (at the An Hao Bridge intersection), stretching more than 3.7 kilometers. Two bridges, Thong Nhat Bridge and Vam Ong An Bridge, are being built along this branch. Branch 2 starts at the roundabout connecting to Branch 1 and ends at Dang Van Tron Street (at the Buu Hoa Bridgehead intersection), with a length of more than 1.7 kilometers.

Workers completes construction of Thong Nhat Bridge under the Bien Hoa Central Axis Road Project.

Within the project, Thong Nhat Bridge and the approach roads at both ends are among the most critical components. Thong Nhat Bridge has a total length of approximately 765 meters, including a 559-meter main bridge, with 6–10 lanes and a width of 45-95 meters.

According to the Provincial People's Committee's plan, Thong Nhat Bridge is scheduled to open to technical traffic on February 3, 2026. Tran Hoang Nam, Director of the Project Management Unit (under Mekong No. 1 Construction Investment Joint Stock Company), stated that with this deadline, only about two weeks remain to complete construction and fulfill the conditions for technical opening. “As time is extremely limited, contractors at the site are accelerating construction day and night to complete Thong Nhat Bridge for technical traffic,” Tran Hoang Nam said.

Construction of the Thong Nhat Bridge is now essentially complete. Contractors are currently installing the lighting system and traffic safety facilities. Notably, to meet the technical opening requirements, asphalt paving of the bridge deck is expected to begin early next week.

“Asphalt paving of the bridge deck is almost the final item needed to complete Thong Nhat Bridge for technical opening,” Tran Hoang Nam added.

Opening the entire route before Lunar New Year

In addition to Thong Nhat Bridge’s technical opening in early February, the entire Bien Hoa Central Axis Road Project is now being accelerated to enable full-route traffic before the Lunar New Year 2026.

The Bien Hoa Central Axis Road Project is one of the province’s key projects, with a total investment of more than 1.5 trillion VND.

Thong Nhat Bridge connects Bien Hoa’s urban center with Hiep Hoa Islet and is among the most critical components of the Bien Hoa Central Axis Road Project. Photo: Pham Tung

Construction of the project began in early 2023, but most of the construction period was delayedby difficulties with site clearance. It was not until late 2025 that the entire site was handed over. After the “bottleneck” of site clearance was resolved, contractors concentrated their workforce and machinery to accelerate construction. On the project site, round-the-clock work, with the spirit of “three shifts, four crews,” or working day and night, has been maintained to make up for earlier delays.

According to the project investor, the Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board, the Bien Hoa Central Axis Road Project consists of eight main construction packages. To date, the total construction output has exceeded 784 billion VND, reaching nearly 71% of the signed contract value.

Thong Nhat Bridge on the Bien Hoa Central Axis Road spans the Cai River, connecting Bien Hoa’s urban center with Hiep Hoa Islet.

During an on-site inspection of the project in early January 2026, Provincial Party Committee member and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Ho Van Ha emphasized that at this point, the most significant “bottleneck” affecting construction progress, site clearance, has been resolved. The goal of opening the entire route to technical traffic before Lunar New Year 2026 now depends solely on construction work. “If daytime work is not enough, night work must be intensified. Additional lighting systems must be installed to serve nighttime construction,” Vice Chairman Ho Van Ha requested during the inspection.

According to Vice Chairman Ho Van Ha, in addition to the goal of opening the entire route before Lunar New Year 2026, contractors must also focus on completing the Thong Nhat Bridge and Vam Ong An Bridge. “Speed up construction and finishing work on Thong Nhat Bridge and Vam Ong An Bridge so that these two bridges become new landmarks of Bien Hoa City, serving residents’ ‘check-in’ needs during Lunar New Year 2026,” he urged.

By Pham Tung – Translated by Trieu Ngan, Minho