Cracks found in the four sections of the Thu Thiem Tunnel Project, which will cross the Saigon River, have been repaired properly, a senior manager of the project said.

The minister, leading a state council that supervises construction projects, approved the four sections for installation, Phuc said.

The first of the four sections, weighing 27,000 tons each, is expected to be placed under the river on March 3. The other sections will be installed in the following three months to link Ho Chi Minh City’s Districts 1 and 2.

Authorities found the cracks in June 2008 when the sections were still under construction at a site in Dong Nai Province.

Due to the cracks, construction of the tunnel could not be finished at the end of 2008 as planned.

The 1.5 kilometer tunnel is the main part of the East West Highway Project. Construction started in 2005 and is expected to be completed in August this year.

It is scheduled to open to traffic in February next year

Reported by Mai Vong