"The number of vehicles and travellers in Ben Luc District is increasing because the district is the gateway to HCM City," explained Phung Van On, deputy director of Long An's Traffic Safety Committee.
The deputy director added that his committee recently urged the Fourth Road Management Department and the 76 Road Construction Company to upgrade the road and repair all damage.
Nguyen Van Thanh, deputy director of the Fourth Road Management Department under the Ministry of Transport, said the portion of the highway in question was last upgraded and expanded in 2000.
There had been no further construction on the road since then, Thanh revealed, adding that industrial zones and urban areas were built with low-quality drainage systems that held stagnant water and affected the road.
He noted that rainy and stormy weather also caused the road to crack, peel off and decline.
Thanh revealed that his Department had assigned its employees to repair the road and clear the drains to ensure that the road would be free of stagnant water.
He added that his department would implement a massive reconstruction of the road in February, to be funded by the State budget at a cost of VND 35 billion (US$1.66 million).
Thanh noted that a road construction project for a portion of Highway 1A running through Long An province was already being implemented at a cost VND 10 billion (US$476,000) and was expected to be completed by the end of December.
In addition, the department also proposed that provincial government agencies invest in a street lighting system to improve road visibility for drivers, the deputy director said.
