Minister of Construction sets deadline for completing 2 expressways through Cao Bang and Lang Son

On November 10, a Government delegation led by Minister of Construction - Tran Hong Minh inspected and surveyed the construction sites of two expressway projects through Cao Bang and Lang Son, including Dong Dang - Tra Linh and Huu Nghi - Chi Lang.

Both projects will start construction in early and mid-2024, connecting with the Bac Giang - Lang Son expressway, part of the roadmap to complete the economic arterial belt, opening the door to integration, trade, tourism and investment of the Northeast region and the whole country.

According to the contractors' reports, the above expressway is urgently completing the "critical path" items, calculating and selecting scientific and methodical solutions to reach the finish line on time as planned in 2026; ensuring labor safety and construction quality.

Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh assessed that the current construction resources of the two projects are fully capable of completing the progress, the remaining problem lies in the method and way of organizing the construction.

Through inspection, the Minister of Construction emphasized that the two expressway projects above are political tasks assigned by the Party and State to the parties, and are the honor and prestige of the investors to ensure the route is opened on December 19.

The parties need to coordinate closely, concentrate human resources, equipment, and work day and night, making the most of dry weather to speed up progress. The project enterprise needs to speed up progress, increase output, and coordinate closely with Cao Bang province to disburse 5,000 billion VND as planned.

For the section passing through Lang Son province that is still stuck in the payment of land clearance fees, the Minister of Construction requested Lang Son province to resolve the issue within 1 week. If there is any delay, the construction units must determine the highest spirit and make efforts to complete the project before December 19. For sections facing special difficulties or force majeure, the project enterprise needs to compile specific statistics and report clearly to the competent authorities for appropriate handling.

On this occasion, the Minister also proposed to reward 3 engineers of the Dong Dang - Tra Linh project who died in the recent floods; sent condolences and encouragement to the families of the victims, considering this a noble gesture, demonstrating the sense of responsibility and dedication to the common cause of the country.

Two expressways through Cao Bang and Lang Son are scheduled to be completed this year.

According to estimates, the circulation of storms No. 10 and 11 caused damage to 2 projects with a total value of about 53 billion VND, causing the progress of the entire project to stagnate, even though the contractors have increased their manpower and machinery by 1.5-2 times. The Dong Dang - Tra Linh project is identified by investors and contractors as the "key point of the key point" due to the huge amount of work, complex geological structure, and great damage caused by recent floods.

The construction unit said that heavy rains "paralyzed" construction activities, the construction site was cut off, and auxiliary works such as public roads and temporary bridges were eroded and washed away many times, causing great losses to many contractors. If the floods were not so severe and unusual, many critical road items could have been completed ahead of schedule. The project has 65 bridges over rivers and provincial roads, including 1 special-class bridge and 5 first-class bridges. Some bridge items such as Km28, Km52, Km69 and Km79 are being zoned as progress critical roads.

Currently, contractors are deploying 276 construction teams, with 3,332 personnel and 1,500 equipment, with output reaching 4,988/11,396 billion VND (equivalent to 44% of the contract value). Specifically, the Huu Nghi-Chi Lang project is determined to open 54km of the main route; the Dong Dang-Tra Linh project is open 70/93km, the remaining locations of large bridges over rivers, landslide slopes and bridges with caster caves, striving to open the entire route on asphalt concrete and crushed stone before Tet, except for some additional bridge items.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/bo-truong-xay-dung-chot-han-ve-dich-2-tuyen-cao-toc-qua-cao-bang-lang-son-post1795123.tpo