Manholes that are broken or lose covers on HCM City’s Vo Van Kiet avenue; the section crosses District 6 and Binh Tan District, have become dangerous traps for travelers.

Vo Van Kiet or also East-West avenue, which is cost nearly VND10 trillion (over $660 million), is HCM City’s backbone road. The avenue has been open for traffic for over one year but many manholes on the road have been broken or lost their covers. Many of them are full of rubbish.

The avenue is nearly 22km long, running from Binh Chanh district through districts 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, Binh Tan to Hanoi highway in District 2. Nearly 10,000 households were removed under this project.The avenue helps cut in half the way from HCM City’s eastern gateway to western gateway, while traffic circulation in the city’s centre is improved. It is praised to be the most beautiful road in Saigon, but every dozens of meters, there is a manhole without cover.

Some manholes contain black and smelly water.

Some others become grass basins.

Local residents say that this manhole has been broken for over two weeks.

They also said that these holes have become fatal traps at night.

On the pavement, many manholes also don’t have cover, which are very dangerous for pedestrians.

The pavement is also dug up.

A 13.4km section of this avenue, from Calmette Bridge in District 1 to National Highway 1 in Binh Chanh District, opened in September 2009. Once Thu Thiem tunnel is finalized in the second quarter of 2011, the avenue will also be completed.The road is named after late PM Vo Van Kiet, who was also HCM City Party Secretary, to honor his great contributions to Doi Moi and HCM City’s development.

PV