Highway project delayed due to sand shortage.

Many localities in the Mekong Delta region are mobilizing maximum resources and intensifying construction with "3 shifts, 4 teams" to complete expressway projects by June this year. However, construction is facing many difficulties due to scarce supply and escalating sand prices. Importing sand from the border is also proving challenging. This is directly affecting the progress of the key Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway.

Upstream on the Tien River, near the border of Dong Thap and An Giang provinces, barges are densely anchored for extended periods. Due to the scarcity of domestic supply, a huge "sand market" has formed on the river, waiting to purchase materials from Cambodia. However, accessing this sand source is extremely difficult.

Mr. Nguyen Van Dan from An Giang province said: "There are so many vehicles parked there, one by one, before it's time to pick them up. It's not like just anyone can get anything. For example, companies that want to pick up sand call ahead. The difficulty is that it's hard to drive because there are so many of them. You have to maneuver carefully, avoiding collisions if you're not careful."

Not only are contractors struggling to queue for supplies, but they are also facing difficulties because the price of border sand remains pegged at 190,000 to over 210,000 VND per cubic meter. This price surge and shortage are putting direct pressure on the progress of the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Tin - Deputy Director of Truong Son 10 Project Management Board, stated: "All units working along the route are working day and night, in three shifts, braving the sun and rain, and have accelerated the progress to ensure the timely completion of the base layer for laying the first batch of asphalt concrete for the project."

Numerous project components are facing the risk of delays due to shortages of both crushed stone and leveling sand. Particularly in package 11 of component project 4, the material specifications in the design documents differ significantly from reality, resulting in a significant sand shortage on the construction site.

Lieutenant Colonel Tran Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of Truong Son 12 Project Management Board, shared: "According to the design documents, approximately 1.1 million cubic meters should be extracted, but only 57% has been completed so far. In reality, there is a shortage of about 500,000 cubic meters."

In the near future, border sand mines risk being relocated further away, closer to the capital Phnom Penh, leading to further increases in transportation costs and prices.

Currently, Can Tho city is urgently expediting procedures for granting licenses to six new river sand mines and increasing the exploitable reserves at existing mines. At the same time, the locality is proactively working with An Giang and Vinh Long provinces to support the allocation of sand resources from the Hau River, as well as extending the exploitation period for the Binh Phuoc Xuan mine, aiming for technical traffic opening by June.

Source: https://vtv.vn/cao-toc-cham-tien-do-vi-thieu-cat-100260306203957108.htm