Nearly 58km of Ben Luc–Long Thanh Expressway fully opens to traffic

At exactly midnight on October 1, access ramps to the Ben Luc–Long Thanh Expressway in Dong Nai City were officially opened, allowing vehicles to travel along the entire expressway.

Vehicles merge onto the Ben Luc–Long Thanh Expressway in Dong Nai City in the early hours of October 1. Photo: Pham Tung

Shortly afterward, vehicles traveling from National Highway 51 entered the Ben Luc–Long Thanh Expressway via the Phuoc An Interchange and crossed Phuoc Khanh and Binh Khanh bridges into Ho Chi Minh City before continuing toward the Mekong Delta. Traffic in the opposite direction, from the Mekong Delta to Dong Nai City, began later. However, from midnight onward, many drivers of passenger buses, cargo trucks and private cars had already gathered to await the opening of the entire route.

The Ben Luc–Long Thanh Expressway is nearly 58 kilometers long and passes through Tay Ninh Province, Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai City. The section running through Dong Nai City is nearly 29 kilometers long. The project features four motor-vehicle lanes and two emergency stopping lanes.

In early 2025, the Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) began opening sections that met operational requirements. These included the section from the My Yen Interchange at Km0+700, connecting to the Ho Chi Minh City–Trung Luong Expressway, to the Nguyen Van Tao Interchange at Km21+850, and the section from the Phuoc An Interchange at Km50+530 to the National Highway 51 Interchange at Km57+581. Together, these sections covered nearly 30 kilometers.

In recent years, VEC has focused resources on completing the remaining components, including the Binh Khanh and Phuoc Khanh cable-stayed bridges. Completion of these bridges and the main works along the middle section connected the western and eastern parts of the expressway, completing the entire Ben Luc–Long Thanh route 12 years after construction began.

By Pham Tung – Translated by Mai Nga, Minho