Cao Bang urgently clears congested roads

Photo caption — People in Thuc Phan ward ( Cao Bang ) make efforts to overcome the consequences of storms and floods. Photo: Chu Hieu/VNA

According to the report of the Department of Construction of Cao Bang province, 56 landslides on the national highways have been recorded, causing traffic jams. Up to now, 53/54 locations have been opened to traffic. However, the point Km124+100 on National Highway 34 in Group 7, Bao Lac commune is still blocked due to high risk of landslides, forcing traffic to be diverted to National Highway 4A.

In addition, there are 14 flooded spots causing traffic jams; of which, 13 locations have been handled, but Tha Tan Bridge at Km3+600 on National Highway 34B in Duc Long and Thach An is still flooded about 0.7m deep, the water recedes slowly causing traffic disruption.

In total, the entire national highway recorded 1,053 landslides, road surface sedimentation and longitudinal ditches with a volume of soil and rock up to 182,700m³, the estimated cost of repair is about 163.3 billion VND.

On provincial roads, 39 landslides causing traffic jams have been handled and have now been completely cleared and reopened to traffic. However, some locations such as Km8+420 on DT.216 in Truong Luong and Hoa An communes are still dangerous as vehicles have to cross over the landslides that have been preliminarily leveled. The temporary path is a muddy, slippery, steep dirt road, only motorbikes or high-chassis cars can travel at very slow speeds and pose a high risk of insecurity.

In addition, 10 flood points have been completely handled, a total of 431 landslides were recorded on provincial roads with a volume of about 186,950m³, and the estimated repair cost is about 62.7 billion VND.

Regarding response and recovery, the Department of Construction has deployed a disaster prevention plan in advance, with forces, machinery and spare materials at key points, and directed the Road Maintenance Management Board and related units to inspect and review damage, and deploy remedial measures such as tree cutting, sand removal, warning signs and barricades at dangerous locations. Three working groups directly led by the Department of Construction's leaders inspected the scene in three directions, regularly updated traffic situations, and coordinated with local quarries to prioritize recovery work.

Road maintenance contractors have been asked to mobilize equipment, provide adequate warnings at key locations, assign guards to regulate traffic, and coordinate with local authorities and traffic police to disseminate information, direct traffic, and arrange guards.

However, the recovery work still faces many difficulties due to many flooded and landslide locations causing traffic jams, making it difficult for patrol officers to move around and unable to fully update the damage. The transportation of landslide soil and rock also faces obstacles due to lack of dumping locations or having to transport them far away, causing waste of time and money.

The Department of Construction is continuing to direct units to be on duty 24/7 to ensure smooth traffic, mobilize machinery to completely handle congestion points, proactively fix minor damage points, and at the same time study repair and reinforcement plans and propose the Provincial People's Committee to declare an emergency situation to have a basis for implementing the next steps.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/xa-hoi/cao-bang-khan-truong-khai-thong-cac-doan-duong-bi-tac-nghen-20251010180347082.htm