Nearly seven kilometers of damaged road connecting the Hanoi – Hoa Binh highway and Thang Long Boulevard, a gateway to the west of Hanoi, is seen as a major issue hampering the city’s efforts in urbanizing westward.

The 3D design of the road section. File photo

The Thang Long Boulevard has been the main thoroughfare connecting Hanoi’s Ring road No.3 to national way No.21, one of the key routes linking the capital city with neighboring Hoa Binh province and Vietnam’s northern region.

However, the deteriorated road linking the two highways, running around 6.7 kilometers, has not been properly upgraded and only allowed a maximum speed of below 60 kilometers per hour.

This section, therefore, has been seen as the biggest transportation gap in Hanoi’s western gateway, posing a high risk of traffic congestion and safety.

Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Du urbanize westward.

“This would help Hanoi better meet growing transportation demand between the city’s downtown and the western region, opening up opportunities for socio-economic development and holding significant meaning for security-defense,” Tuan told The Hanoi Times.

“Once completed, the whole region would become a driving force for the development of Hoa Lac satellite town and the western region of Hanoi,” he continued.

Sharing Tuan’s view, transport expert Nguyen Manh Thang suggested a better linkage between Thang Long Boulevard and Hanoi – Hoa Binh highway remains a strategic point for the development of Hanoi.

“Not only this would enhance the transportation capability from Hanoi to the northern region, but also improve access to Hanoi’s major sights, such as Ba Vi, Son Tay, Thach That, or Quoc Oai,” Thang told The Hanoi Times.

In addition, the Vietnam National University, Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism, and a host of eco-tourism parks are in the surrounding areas.

“Investment in this road section would not only spur socio-economic development but also accelerate the relocation of schools, offices, residential areas or public facilities out of the downtown areas,” he continued.

Scheduled to complete by 2026

The Hanoi People’s Council has recently approved the inclusion of the Thang Long Boulevard extension into a list of priority projects.

With a total length of 6.7 kilometers, the starting point of the project would be at Km0+358.31 in Thach Hoa Commune, Thach That District, and the final point at the intersection of Hanoi – Hoa Binh highway with Cultural Village Street, Yen Binh commune, Thach That District.

The entire project would include a six-lane road, four bridges and bypasses, and five underpasses, with an investment capital of VND5.2 trillion ($220.3 million), expected to be completed during the 2022-2026 period.

The Hanoi People’s Committee assigned the Thach That District’s authorities to carry out the site clearance and resettlement works for affected households.

Given the issue remaining a stumbling block for many public projects in Vietnam, experts called for the city to stay focused on ensuring effective site clearance works and avoid delays in this regard.