Perspective of the bridge over the Huong River

 

Project of aspiration

 

The inherently beautiful banks of the Huong River have many famous bridges such as Truong Tien, Phu Xuan, Da Vien... And recently, the information from the meeting of the Provincial People's Council in late 2020 on the policy of building Nguyen Hoang Street and the bridge over the Huong  River has left the Hue people with many emotions. 

 

Emotions by the long-awaited wish upstream of the poetic Huong River with a bridge across it now come true. The project is the "key" to removing the traffic bottleneck and the opportunity for long-term socio-economic development, not only in southwest  Hue City.

 

Mr. Le Van Thien, a resident of Thuy Bieu Ward, said that the finalization of Nguyen Hoang Street and the bridge over the Huong River will offer faster opportunities for farmers to exchange goods. Tourists favorably visit the landscape and experience the garden houses at Kim Long, Phu Mong, Huong Long, Huong Ho, and Thuy Bieu.

 

A garden house owner in Kim Long Ward affirmed that the presence of the bridge upstream of the Huong River is not merely a traffic work but also the aspiration of Hue’s Ancient Capital people

 

When the project is finalized, it will surely attract a significant number of tourists to Hue to visit the gardens in southwest Hue City such as Kim Long, Huong Ho, Thuy Bieu, and the activities in business, experiences in cuisine, ecology, and landscape here will be more vibrant. Images of the Huong River, Ngu Mountain, and Hue people continue to spread on the world tourism "map".

 

Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong, Deputy Director of the Provincial Management Board of Investment and Construction of Traffic Works, the project investor, said when the project is finalized, it will be located on ring road 3 connecting districts and towns such as Huong Tra and Huong Thuy, which is the main road axis connecting the northwest region with the southwest region of Hue City, separated by the Huong  River.

 

The road is being evaluated in terms of procedures with an estimated capital of 200 billion VND, and after the completion of the connection with Vo Van Kiet, TL 28, National Highway 49A..., it will reduce traffic pressure on the road axes of Hue City center and National Highway 1A because the daily traffic volume is very high, often causing congestion, and affecting the environment and urban landscape. Concurrently, it facilitates the implementation of the Hue City expansion plan to 2025 approved by the Prime Minister. On account of the above urgency, it is the longed-for project.

 

Quality assurance, on schedule

 

In scale, the project for Nguyen Hoang Street and the bridge across the Huong River is built in Kim Long, Huong Long, and Phuong Duc wards belonging to ring road 3, about 1.67km long. The bridge alone is about 590m long, and the river-crossing section is about 380m. The bridge is 43m wide, with 4 lanes for motor vehicles and safety lanes in each direction.

 

Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong, Deputy Manager of the Provincial Management Board of Investment and Construction of Traffic Works, said that the total investment value of the project is more than 2,000 billion VND, with the State budget, including the cost of site clearance of more than 269 billion VND. The construction period commences in 2022 and is expected to be finalized in 2025.

 

Because the project largely upgrades and expands the existing roads in the inner city and across the Huong River, in the construction process, a neat, clean and optimal monitoring plan will be developed to ensure the quality of the work and the urban aesthetics of Hue City, in the hope of finalizing on schedule.

 

During the conference in preparation for starting construction, Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, said that the bridge over the Huong River is symbolic of Hue City. Aside from economic factors, it also has aesthetic factors, so architectural options should be taken into consideration.

 

To meet the set criteria, the province repeatedly organized contests and collected public opinions to vote for the architectural option of the bridge over the Huong River, not only in accordance with the bridge design in Vietnam (TCVN 11823- 9-2017) but also in harmony with the landscape of the city of heritage culture and with the symbol of Hue.

 

At this point, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee requested the relevant departments, sectors, localities, and units to focus on coordinating the implementation of necessary tasks and procedures so that the construction can start according to the plan.

 

According to Mr. Le Anh Tuan, Director of the Department of Transport, the project for  Nguyen Hoang Street and the bridge over the Huong River are part of the Ring Road 3 system. When finalized, it will connect uninterruptedly with the provincial transport system such as Tu Duc - National Highway 1A; Thuy Duong - Thuan An, National Highway 49A, convenient for Cam Lo - La Son, La Son - Tuy Loan highways, which have been opened locally, connecting with the Central - Central Highlands region.

 

This is also a strategic project to step up the formation of neighboring satellite cities. The construction is expected to commence in late 2022.

 

Story and photo: Song Van