Metro construction triggers 3-km traffic jam at HCMC airport gateway

Heavy traffic choked streets around Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City northwestern gateway on Wednesday morning as road closures began for the city's second metro line construction.

By 8 a.m., the traffic jam stretched for more than 3 km. The most severe gridlock centered around an intersection spanning from the Tham Luong Bridge to the Truong Chinh-Cong Hoa junction.

The congestion resulted from partial road closures along routes paralleling Metro Line 2, or Ben Thanh - Tham Luong.

Barricades went up this morning on Truong Chinh, Tan Ky Tan Quy, and Huynh Van Gam streets to accommodate the construction of the ST9 (Ba Queo) Station.

Tan Son Nhat is Vietnam's busiest airport and sits near several major arterial roads, creating consistently heavy traffic in the area. Commuters typically surge from the An Suong area toward the city center in the mornings, with the traffic flow reversing in the afternoons.

Construction workers helped regulate traffic around the Ba Queo Station construction site near the Truong Chinh–Cong Hoa intersection.

Construction workers helped regulate traffic around the Ba Queo Station construction site near the Truong Chinh–Cong Hoa intersection.

Construction workers helped regulate traffic around the Ba Queo Station construction site near the Truong Chinh–Cong Hoa intersection.

Congestion stretched for about 3 km between Phan Van Bach and Truong Chinh streets. This section was one of the first areas barricaded for the construction of Metro Line 2, which will link the city center to its northwestern gateway.

Traffic backed up alongside the metro construction barriers, where authorities installed numerous signs to guide motorists.

To ease the gridlock, the city urged commuters traveling from An Suong toward the downtown area to take alternative routes. One suggested detour directs drivers off Truong Chinh onto Che Lan Vien, Nguyen Huu Dat, Le Trong Tan, and Tan Ky Tan Quy streets before returning to Truong Chinh. A second option routes traffic through Ho Dac Di, Huynh Van Gam, and Tan Ky Tan Quy streets.

Le Duong Manh Hung, a public bus driver, called the Truong Chinh-Cong Hoa area a longstanding traffic "nightmare."

"Now the road has been narrowed by the barriers, making it even harder for vehicles to move," Hung said. "I don't know if I'll make it back to the station on time."

Street sections (in red) are set to be converted from two-way to one-way traffic during the construction of HCMC's Metro Line 2. Graphic by Tam Thao