Expressways and beltways with Long Thanh international airport as the central coordinates have been scheduled for completion.
Connecting traffic takes shape clearly
Recognising the "once in a hundred years" opportunity for Dong Nai to make a breakthrough when Long Thanh airport is completed (expected in September 2026), the tasks related to Long Thanh airport and connecting traffic routes under the responsibility of the locality have been acted upon decisively and urgently by provincial leaders.
The political system from the province to the grassroots has actively implemented compensation, support, resettlement, and care for new housing for people, thereby successfully clearing the ground and providing clean land for traffic works.
Closely following the direction of the Prime Minister at the working session with Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee in September 2024, the province focuses on strongly promoting the pioneering spirit of developing synchronous, modern, and smart infrastructure, especially traffic infrastructure.
Dong Nai possesses all 5 modes of transportation including: Road, railway, inland waterway, international maritime and air. Notably, the new look of the regional traffic infrastructure system, especially the area surrounding Long Thanh airport, is changing very rapidly.
First of all, the two routes T1 and T2 have the role of connecting with the main traffic axes in the area to connect traffic to Long Thanh airport. Route T1 will connect with National Highway 51 and provincial routes 25B, 25C, then connect with Ben Luc-Long Thanh Expressway and Ring Road 3-Ho Chi Minh City which are being invested in construction.
While the two routes T1 and T2 are being urgently constructed by the Government, observing from the location of Long Thanh airport to the surrounding area shows that recently, many new projects have been initiated to connect synchronously.
In early January, Dong Nai province officially broke ground on two projects: Upgrading Provincial Road 25B from the center of Nhon Trach district to National Highway 51 and building Provincial Road 25C from National Highway 51 to Huong Lo 19.
Both routes will be basically completed by the end of 2025, put into operation in 2026, playing a role in connecting Long Thanh airport with Ho Chi Minh City and the provinces in the Southwest region, while also sharing traffic pressure for the Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway.
Director of Dong Nai Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board Ngo The An said that currently, contractors are focusing on human resources and equipment to construct areas with the land of the above two projects. Immediately after the groundbreaking ceremony, contractors are peeling off the organic layer at the Provincial Road 25B Upgrade Project.
Relentless efforts
At the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway projects; Ring Road 3-Ho Chi Minh City, many contractors are still maintaining the continuous construction schedule to basically complete construction by the end of 2025 and put it into operation in 2026. Since January 15, the construction unit of the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway Component 1 project through Dong Nai province has started the first asphalt concrete paving.
Deputy Director of the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway Project Management Board Ninh The Thuong shared that the dry season weather is very favourable for asphalt concrete paving, so the board mobilised human resources and machinery to speed up the progress. The cleaning and dust blowing work, followed by the paving will not be interrupted, ensuring the quality of the project.
Regarding the land acquisition issues related to about 600 households in Bien Hoa city and the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau expressway project, Dong Nai Provincial Party Secretary Vu Hong Van urged the authorities to complete the project by March 2025.
Bien Hoa City Party Secretary Ho Van Nam said that after five days of implementing the peak campaign of communication and mobilisation, more than 150 households committed to handing over the land.
Dong Nai Province is also preparing to implement the Project to build provincial road 769E (section from Long Thanh airport to provincial road 770B) to connect the airport with the Phan Thiet-Dau Giay expressway, forming an additional connection direction north of the airport, sharing the traffic density with the southern area which is expected to increase when the airport is put into operation.
Dong Nai Province’s leaders regularly requested contractors to rebuild the progress critical path to manage each task to be completed, with focus, key points, and arrange construction on the large construction site in a scientific manner. Recently, two nearly 10 km long sections of the Ben Luc-Long Thanh Expressway were officially opened to traffic. The project’s obstacles have also been resolved so that it can be completed in 2026.
Chairman of the Dong Nai Provincial People’s Committee Vo Tan Duc said that in order to complete the traffic network to be truly modern, the locality will continue to review the entire system of directions and traffic routes connecting the airport to match the actual traffic volume, capable of meeting future travel and transportation needs to make necessary proposals and recommendations to the Government.
Along with the traffic network connecting the ports in the region to Long Thanh airport, Dong Nai province urgently proposed to expand the expressway from Ho Chi Minh City to the airport to solve traffic problems for the entire region; extend urban railway line No.1 to Dong Nai; implement the railway project connecting Ho Chi Minh City to the airport.
Dong Nai also requested localities to coordinate to soon complete the construction of the projects: Ring Road 3-Ho Chi Minh City, Ben Luc-Long Thanh Expressway and Ring Road 4-Ho Chi Minh City.
A series of transport infrastructure projects are about to be completed and newly started in the future, promising to help Dong Nai and the Southeast region accelerate strongly; in which, the most obvious is the formation of a seamless transport network, breaking the "bottleneck" of connecting transport infrastructure, to contribute to double-digit economic growth.
In the Provincial Planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, Dong Nai identified the highlight of Long Thanh airport as the new driving force for breakthrough development, making the province a major hub for transport and logistics, associated with the airport urban model. Districts and cities in the province have reserved land along the expressway corridor to be ready for auction, creating more resources to promote the aspiration to rise.
