HCMC gateway slightly congested on first day of holiday

On the morning of September 1, vehicles from the inner city continuously converged on Nguyen Thi Dinh Street, waiting to cross the Cat Lai ferry in Thu Duc City. This is one of the main roads at the eastern gateway of Ho Chi Minh City, taking vehicles through Dong Nai and the southeastern provinces.

At more than 8am, a line of cars about 300m long was lined up in front of the ferry terminal, but was quickly cleared, avoiding the jostling and long queues. "I was worried about traffic jams so I didn't leave the city for the holiday early yesterday afternoon. Luckily this morning the roads weren't jammed and the weather was favorable," said Nguyen Khanh, 34, from District 3.

Previously, to reduce traffic jams during the 4-day holiday, the Cat Lai port management unit organized ticket sellers more than 100 meters from the ferry entrance, combined with the civil defense force to regulate and disperse the traffic flow. However, this morning, the large number of container trucks entering and leaving Cat Lai port has decreased, some people left the city for the holiday in advance, helping Nguyen Thi Dinh Street to be more open.

Mr. Nguyen Chien Thang, Director of Thanh Nien Xung Phong Ferry Management Enterprise - the unit managing Cat Lai ferry, said that this year's holiday is long so the number of people crossing the ferry has increased, but not all at once like some short-day holidays but scattered. During the holidays, the above unit predicts the peak on September 3 with the number of passengers crossing the wharf more than 80,000, an increase of about 40% compared to normal days.

"To meet travel needs, the port proactively plans to operate a maximum of seven ferries, including two 200-ton ferries, three 100-ton ferries and two 60-ton ferries with an average of about 300 trips per day," said Mr. Thang.

More than 5 km from Cat Lai Wharf, the number of vehicles increased in the direction from the inner city to Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway to the Eastern provinces but there was no long-lasting congestion. Major Hoang Xuan An, Captain of Highway Patrol Team No. 6 (Traffic Police Department), said that this morning the expressway was only congested for about an hour due to a car stalling at Long Thanh Bridge. The police then regulated and handled the incident to help the traffic situation stabilize again.

"During the holidays, 100% of the traffic police force will be on duty to quickly handle incidents and accidents, and limit congestion on the highway," said Mr. An.

At the western gateway, Highway 1 through Binh Chanh and Binh Tan districts, the number of vehicles also increased from early morning but there was no traffic jam like during the holidays and Tet in previous years. At some major intersections such as An Lac roundabout, Nguyen Huu Tri - Highway 1, many police and militia were on duty, directing traffic. Traffic lights in this area prioritize green light duration for vehicles on Highway 1 to limit congestion.

According to a traffic police officer from the An Lac team (Traffic Police Department of Ho Chi Minh City Police), after work yesterday afternoon, many people returned to their hometowns until late at night. This force divided into many teams to stand guard at intersections and roads leading to the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong Expressway to proactively handle any arising situations. The traffic diversion plan continued to be implemented in the opposite direction when people returned to Ho Chi Minh City after the holiday.

Meanwhile, at more than 10am, traffic jams occurred nearly two kilometers in front of the Dau Giay - Phan Thiet expressway toll station (section through Dong Nai) due to the continuous influx of cars. After being opened to traffic 4 months ago and connecting the Long Thanh - Dau Giay route, this expressway has attracted people from Ho Chi Minh City to tourist destinations in Phan Thiet and Mui Ne. Currently, functional forces are on duty in this area to regulate and limit traffic jams.

Dinh Van - Gia Minh - Phuoc Tuan