Dong Nai City seeks to fast-track Elevated Road Project along National Highway 51

The Dong Nai City People’s Committee has directed relevant agencies to expedite investment procedures and shorten implementation timelines to accelerate construction of the Elevated Road Project along National Highway 51, running from Vung Tau Intersection to the interchange connecting Vo Nguyen Giap Road with the Bien Hoa–Vung Tau Expressway.

The Elevated Road Project along National Highway 51 will begin at Vung Tau Intersection. Photo: Pham Tung

The project is one of the city’s key infrastructure developments, aimed at gradually completing its transport network to meet growing development needs.

An urgent project

In mid-May 2026, the main section of the Bien Hoa–Vung Tau Expressway was temporarily opened to traffic. The opening of this nearly 54km expressway has cut travel time from the Vung Tau area of Ho Chi Minh City to Phuoc Tan Ward in Dong Nai City from around three hours to approximately 1.5 hours.

However, while travel time has decreased on the expressway, another traffic bottleneck remains unresolved. From the expressway’s starting point at the interchange with Vo Nguyen Giap Road to central wards such as Tran Bien and Bien Hoa wards, the distance is much shorter, yet travel time remains lengthy.

Nguyen Phong, a resident of Tran Bien Ward, said that traveling from Vung Tau along the expressway to its endpoint at the interchange with Vo Nguyen Giap Road takes only about 1.5 hours. However, from this interchange to Tran Bien Ward, although the distance is much shorter, the journey still takes nearly 30 minutes, or even longer if traffic is congested.

In fact, even before the main section of the Bien Hoa–Vung Tau Expressway opened, traffic on National Highway 51 between Vung Tau Intersection and the Gate 11 area was already difficult. The road’s limited width and heavy traffic frequently caused congestion and delays, making journeys time-consuming. Vung Tau Intersection and Gate 11 have long been considered major hotspots of traffic congestion.

Against this backdrop, investment in the Elevated Road Project along National Highway 51 is seen as a solution to traffic congestion on the section of National Highway 51 from Vung Tau Intersection to the interchange connecting Vo Nguyen Giap Road with the Bien Hoa–Vung Tau Expressway. Given the project's importance, Duong Van Hieu, Deputy Director of the Department of Construction, said the Elevated Road Project along National Highway 51 was urgently needed and must be implemented soon to address traffic jams and congestion on National Highway 51.

Accelerating the project timeline

According to Hieu, the Department of Construction has held multiple meetings with project proponents and relevant local authorities to discuss design options, including reaching an agreement on solutions for the interchanges. The interchanges are designed as grade-separated junctions. Vung Tau Intersection is particularly complex because the design must accommodate a crossing with the metro line.

The Elevated Road Project along National Highway 51  will extend approximately 6.2km, including about 4.6km of elevated roadway.

In terms of planning, the project has been incorporated into the transport infrastructure plan and approved by the Ministry of Construction. Procedures to make partial adjustments to the Bien Hoa urban master plan have also been completed. These adjustments include adding a six-lane elevated road along National Highway 51 from Vung Tau Intersection to the interchange with Vo Nguyen Giap Road, as well as three interchanges at Vung Tau Intersection, Nguyen Huu Canh Boulevard and Gate 11, providing the basis for project implementation. The issue of the elevated road crossing the metro line at Vung Tau Intersection has also been resolved.

In September 2026, following approval from the city’s People’s Committee, the Department of Construction organized an architectural design competition for the Vung Tau Intersection under the project. After the competition results are announced, the department will finalize and submit the feasibility study report for approval. Once the report is approved, an investor will be selected, and subsequent implementation procedures will proceed. “According to the Department of Construction’s plan, construction is scheduled to begin in late December 2026,” Hieu said.

However, at the recent third meeting of the Steering Group for key works and projects in Dong Nai City, established under Decision No. 822-QD/TU dated June 25, 2026, issued by the City Party Committee’s Standing Board, Nguyen Van Ut, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee and Chairman of the Dong Nai City People’s Committee, directed the Department of Construction and relevant agencies to shorten the implementation timeline and strive to start construction in November 2026.

According to the investment policy approved by the Dong Nai City People’s Council, the Elevated Road Project along National Highway 51 will extend approximately 6.2km, including about 4.6km of elevated roadway. The project will be designed to urban arterial road standards, with a speed limit of 80kph and six lanes on the elevated section. The road below will be upgraded and improved to provide four lanes for motor vehicles and two mixed-traffic lanes, integrated with the interchange system, intelligent transport systems and toll collection facilities. The project will be implemented under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

By Pham Tung – Translated by Mai Nga, Minho