Tao Dan Park, the green lung of downtown District 1, is about to get a little smaller, as the city's People's Committee may soon approve a plan to repurpose 2,100 square meters of the space for metro construction.
According to VnExpress, city officials are in talks to section off a part of Tao Dan for the sake of Saigon Metro's Line 2, the Ben Thanh-Tham Luong route that will connect the downtown District 1 market with Tan Phu District to the west.
If the proposal goes through, Tao Dan will say goodbye to 33 of its large, leafy residents, some of which were planted as far back as the 1860s, Thanh Nien reports. Some officials have asked the city to reconsider, citing Tao Dan's strategic importance as one of the few remaining green spaces in the city center, however further information regarding the city's plans for the park has yet to be released.
This is not the first time old trees have been sacrificed for the city's metro system. Last year, a set of century-old trees in front of the Opera House were felled to facilitate the construction of a four-storey underground station while 57 others that stand in front of Ben Thanh Market face a similar fate.
The 11.3-kilometer Line 2, which began construction at the start of 2015, has fallen behind in the last year or so, in part due to growing costs. The project was originally priced at US$1.35 billion but has since bloated to over US$2 billion, a 60% increase from its initial estimate.
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- 57 Trees To Be Chopped Down For Bến Thành Metro Station
[Photo via drducthinh]
