Phu My Bridge is the largest and most modern cable-stayed bridge in the city so far, crossing the Saigon River to link districts 2 and 7.

After inauguration, the work will help reduce traffic problems for people on the two sides of the river such as districts 4, 7, Nha Be and Binh Chanh on one side, and districts 2 and 9 on the other. The bridge will also serve as an important link for other major routes such as the HCMC-Trung Luong Highway under progress and the HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay expressways due to kick off late this year.

Construction on the six-lane bridge began in early 2007 with total capital of over VND2 trillion. The bridge stretches some 2,400 meters including approach roads and will help reduce vehicular traffic through the city center and provide a shortcut for travel between the southeast provinces and the Mekong Delta, said Phu My Bridge BOT Corporation’s general director Nguyen Thanh Thai.

The enterprise is the owner of the project and has the right to collect toll fees for 26 years.

The bridge will be officially opened to traffic on September 9. However, as other road projects nearby have not been developed in sync with the bridge, only motorbikes and cars of under nine seats will be allowed to cross the bridge between now and the end of December 31 when full traffic access is available.

On the same day, the city government held a ceremony to threw the first section of the East-West Highway open to traffic after four years of construction.

The section stretches over 18 kilometers to link National Highway 1A in Binh Chanh District to Calmette Bridge in District 1 with 15 overpasses and 14 interchanges. The road connects the city’s eastern and western parts, allowing vehicles traveling from Saigon Port to the Mekong Delta and southeastern provinces to bypass the city center.

The highway plays an important role in the development of new urban centers in the city’s eastern and southern regions, helps improve infrastructure, scenery, and livelihood for residents as well as push up socio-economic development of the city, HCMC chairman Le Hoang Quan was quoted by the Vietnam News Agency on Wednesday.

Quan also urged the project management unit to finish the entire highway as scheduled, in October 2010, with special focus on the Thu Thiem Tunnel project crossing the Saigon River.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Sakaba Mitsuo highly rated the contribution of the project to the city’s economy, adding that the Japanese government wants to get further engaged in Vietnam’s traffic infrastructure and high-tech industries.

Construction of the nearly 22-kilometer highway started in 2005. The road runs from the east to the west of the city, passing through eight inner-city and outlying districts.

The project is invested with over US$660 million, or VND9.9 trillion, with around 65% funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. Vietnam provided 35% of the capital to serve site clearance and compensation for households and agencies affected by the project.

The project management unit expects to finish the remaining section of the highway next year, including the Thu Thiem Tunnel under the Saigon River and a road section through District 2 to connect the tunnel with the Hanoi Highway.