HCMC bridge distresses drivers with steep slopes and heavy traffic

On the afternoon of Aug. 11, a line of trucks and containers queued to cross Phu My Bridge from District 7 towards Cat Lai Port of Thu Duc City.

On the bridge, large vehicles are limited to a maximum speed of 40 kph, but in reality, many container trucks move faster.

Phu My Bridge from HCMC’s Thu Duc City to District 7. Photo by Read/Gia Minh

“Every time I drive over the bridge, I feel anxious, especially when going downhill because I’m often stuck between trucks carrying large stacks of goods,” said Bui Thanh, 35, from Thu Duc.
She expressed her apprehension every time she crosses the bridge, but since it is the shortest route to her workplace in District 7, she must take it daily.

Even with over 10 years of experience driving container trucks, Vu Van Manh, 45, said he still feels pressured every time he transports goods over Phu My.

Apart from frequent congestion, he has often been startled by reckless drivers suddenly passing him.

“With a large vehicle carrying a heavy load, handling such situations is very difficult. A brief distraction or a minor mistake can lead to accidents,” Manh said, adding that the slope at the foot of the bridge is steep, and many drivers do not slow down or maintain a safe distance.

This makes rear-end collisions more likely to happen, posing a danger to smaller vehicles.

The steep slope also causes problems for degraded vehicles or those carrying heavy loads, leading to breakdowns or stalling, which can cause collisions or prolonged congestion.

Phu My Bridge in HCMC has a slope of about 4.5%. Photo by Read/Gia Minh

Phu My Bridge is over 2 km long and was opened to traffic in 2009, with an investment of nearly VND2.1 trillion (US$83.2 million) under the build-operate-transfer model.
The bridge is a cable-stayed design with a vertical clearance of 45 meters, the highest among bridges in Ho Chi Minh City, with a slope of about 4.5%.

It is located on Ring Road No.2 and connects with Nguyen Van Linh Street one side and Vo Chi Cong Street on the other.

Nguyen Van Linh is a major street linking HCMC and the Mekong Delta while Vo Chi Cong leads to Cat Lai and Phu Huu ports in Thu Duc City, resulting in the high traffic volume every day. On average, nearly 30,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily, and most of them are trucks.

The slope of the bridge from District 7 to Thu Duc has long been dubbed the “death slope” by many due to the high number of accidents taking place on a frequent basis.

On Aug. 8, a truck descending the bridge slope caused a chain collision involving seven other vehicles, with three cars catching fire, leading to hours-long congestion.

A driver was rescued by passers-by just in time before his car went up in flames. It was fortunate that no fatalities and only three injuries were recorded.

Since 2017, the HCMC Department of Transport has reduced the speed limit for large vehicles on the bridge to 40 kph from the previous level of 60 kph, while cars and motorbikes can still travel at 60 kph.

Additionally, cameras, signage, and speed bumps have been installed on the bridge, and traffic police have enhanced patrol activities to handle speed violations. However, reckless driving persists in the absence of law enforcement.

A representative of the investor, Phu My Construction Investment Corporation, stated that compared to other bridges in the area, Phu My has a steeper slope but remains within standard limits.

Many other bridges in the Mekong Delta, such as Can Tho, My Thuan, and Rach Mieu, have similar slopes, and that the main causes of accidents on the bridge slope are vehicles not maintaining a safe distance or exceeding speed limits, leading to increased enforcement measures, said the representative.

Chu Cong Minh, a road and bridge specialist at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, also stated that the 4.5% slope of the bridge is within standard limits.

He explained that the slope depends on the design of the bridge’s vertical clearance. Phu My has a clearance of 45 meters to allow large ships to pass underneath, resulting in a steeper slope.

“If we maintain the current clearance and reduce the slope, we would need to build a much longer approach road, which would be costly and require more land,” Minh said, emphasizing that to ensure safety on the bridge, drivers must maintain a safe distance, especially when descending.

Additionally, the management authorities could install weighing stations nearby to limit overloaded vehicles and use monitoring and speed warning devices.

Vehicles are damaged after a serial crash on Phu My Bridge in Thu Duc City, HCMC, Aug. 8, 2024. Photo Read/Dinh Van

Following the accident on Aug. 8, the HCMC Road Infrastructure Management Center, under the Department of Transport, asked the investor to review and address infrastructure issues and enhance safety measures, such as road maintenance and replacing faded signs. The unit also suggested that the investor quickly expand a section of Vo Chi Cong Street between the bridge and My Thuan Intersection.

The road expansion is expected to reduce congestion on the bridge and improve vehicle flow at the bridge’s entrance towards the intersection.

According to the HCMC Traffic Police Department, a quick response team is still maintained in the Cat Lai area, with members communicating via group chats to promptly address accidents and congestion situations.

Traffic police are also regularly stationed at Phu My Bridge to manage traffic violations and have contingency plans for rescue operations if needed.

Phan Cong Bang, deputy director of the Department of Transport, said the traffic pressure in the area is increasing, making the situation complex. In addition to the growing volume of goods through seaports, the high demand for transportation is also due to the rapid urban development in the southern region, leading to a significant increase in travel demand. Many personal car users are choosing Phu My Bridge as their main route.

In addition to the immediate measures being implemented, Bang indicated that the long-term solution for the area involves several large infrastructure projects that are underway or planned.

Among them, the Ben Luc – Long Thanh Expressway, expected to be completed in 2025, will create a new corridor to relieve pressure on the Nguyen Van Linh – Phu My Bridge – Vo Chi Cong route.

Simultaneously, the city is considering investing in Thu Thiem Bridge 4 (connecting District 7 to Thu Thiem Urban Area) and Phu My 2 Bridge (connecting District 7 to Nhon Trach District of Dong Nai Province), which will help distribute traffic in the area and reduce congestion on the bridge, he said.

Driver rescued on HCMC bridge

Two-minute rescue of a driver trapped in serial crashes on Phu My Bridge, HCMC, Aug. 8, 2024. Video by Minh Trinh, Dinh Van

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