The bridge connecting Ho Chi Minh City - Long An is about to open to traffic after 22 years of waiting.

Long Kieng Bridge is located on Le Van Luong Street, crossing the canal of the same name, connecting Nhon Duc and Phuoc Kien communes (Nha Be district, Ho Chi Minh City).

The project was approved in 2001 with a total investment of 589 billion VND, but it was not until 2007 that the land was cleared for some households in phase 1. In August 2018, Long Kieng Bridge started construction but was later stopped due to land clearance problems and resumed operations in September 2022.

Currently, the bridge items are nearly completed.

The bridge is 318m long and 15m wide. The bridge surface has been paved with asphalt, painted lines, paved sidewalks, railings...

Steel guardrails about 1.3m high and lighting systems on the bridge and approach roads have been installed.

Workers are completing the final items.

Next to it is an iron bridge, over 100m long and 3m wide, built in 1976, which has now deteriorated. In September 2015, the underside of the iron bridge was damaged after being hit by a sand barge. Three years later, the bridge collapsed when a 15-ton truck tried to pass through it.

The new Long Kieng Bridge is designed with 2 abutments and 8 pillars, with bridge girders ranging from 33-40m long and weighing 36-76 tons, helping to increase boat clearance by about 5m compared to 1.5m of the old bridge next to it.

The old Long Kieng iron bridge has a low load capacity, only for vehicles under 3.5 tons, with a maximum height of 2.2m. Traffic jams often occur here during rush hour.

Below, the approach road has been widened, with a total length of 661m, and is being urgently constructed to open to traffic in time. There are about 150 trees planted on the sidewalk leading up to the bridge.

Mr. Nguyen Van Sang shared: "Everyone here is looking forward to the completion of this bridge so that people can go to work or take their children to school more conveniently. In the past, using the iron bridge caused constant flooding and traffic jams. If we took another route, we would have to go around and take too much time."

Long Kieng Bridge is expected to open to traffic on the occasion of National Day, September 2. This is a key project at the southern gateway, when completed, it will help connect Long An province to Nha Be district, District 7 to the center of Ho Chi Minh City. In addition, on the 7km long Le Van Luong street, there are 3 degraded iron bridges: Rach Dia, Rach Tom, Rach Doi, which are being planned to be upgraded and replaced by the city government.