Will Saigoneers see the return of Le Loi Boulevard this year?
On March 11, the Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR), which governs metro progress in Saigon, confirmed with Tuoi Tre that plans were underway to restore the surface of Le Loi Boulevard in District 1 after almost five years under construction.
To facilitate the construction of Saigon’s Metro Line 1, one side of the boulevard has been sectioned off since 2017, as the subway line’s portion linking Ben Thanh Market and the Saigon Opera House runs directly underneath it. In May of 2017, city authorities axed 28 decades-old trees along the construction site as work on the segment began.
Most recently, metro contractors restored a short section of Le Loi between Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Plaza and the Opera House in January last year. The small square was also turned into a park.
According to MAUR, their next priority is restoring the section between Nguyen Hue and Pasteur before April 30 this year. Thanh Nien reports that the railway management authority is aiming to completely return Le Loi Boulevard in the third quarter of this year. At the time of writing, work on the Ben Thanh Metro Station and the underground track leading to the Opera House Station is 84.9% complete, MAUR said.
Once the street surface returns, MAUR plans to plant foliage in the area atop the metro while traffic runs on two sides.
