Crushed sand - a solution to the difficulties of riverside road projects

As a key project in the western region of the province, however, due to lack of filling materials, the riverside road project has been behind schedule compared to the plan. In order to complete it soon, put it into use, and promote the effectiveness after investment, Quang Ninh decided to find alternative materials, using crushed sand to replace the scarce natural sand.

Contractors use crushed sand for construction in weak ground locations.

Deployed from the end of 2022, the riverside road is expected to be completed in 2025, identified by Quang Ninh as an important driving force in the strategy to realize the policy and goal of building the province's western economic corridor, connecting to the Red River Delta and the capital Hanoi with the orientation of developing a green urban - industrial chain and historical cultural tourism.

However, during the construction process, to effectively exploit the inter-regional land area, the route is designed to run through areas with complex geology, many swamps and rivers... so it is necessary to treat weak soil with absorbent wicks, load and wait for prolonged subsidence plus replace sand depending on the route section.

Specifically, the project is 40.25km long, designed with 2 parallel roads with 2 lanes for motor vehicles on each side. Except for the bridge locations, most of the remaining road items with a length of about 34km must be treated with weak soil. To direct the removal of difficulties for the project, the Provincial People's Committee and related departments and branches have been very active in reviewing, arranging, and prioritizing land allocation at mines in the area for filling the foundation; using mine waste rock and soil as materials for filling public roads for construction. However, the sand source still mainly depends on mines in other provinces. The project has a need to use more than 900,000m3 according to the design plan. After nearly 3 years, it has only met less than 50% of the demand, and up to now, there is still a shortage of about 500,000m3 of sand to ensure the organization of construction.

While the mines that are legally qualified to supply the project in the Northern region have very low reserves, some mines in Phu Tho province have temporarily stopped exploitation... leading to a very scarce supply. This is also the common situation of many transportation projects in the Northern region. The lack of construction materials has caused many projects to be behind schedule, including riverside roads. This not only wastes time and state resources but also causes difficulties for investors and contractors when the construction organization is prolonged.

Immediately after having suitable sources of raw materials, road construction contractors are actively organizing the simultaneous implementation of various items.

Implementing the Prime Minister's direction on researching solutions to diversify material sources, and proposals from relevant departments and branches, the Provincial People's Committee issued Document No. 3240/UBND-VHXH dated September 11, 2025 agreeing to deploy the application of scientific and technological research results in the field of construction materials in the province, to create a new set of construction material products to improve circular economic efficiency, minimize environmental pollution, and meet the demand for construction materials in the province. With this spirit, some mines in the province such as Bac Son and Duc Son have begun to invest in technology, organize experiments to produce crushed sand, and have been recognized by consulting units and experts to ensure quality, and can replace natural sand for traffic construction.

With the goal of promoting investment and construction to contribute to economic growth in 2025; speeding up the progress of public investment disbursement; promptly completing key projects to implement urban development plans, economic centers, industrial parks, preparing land to attract investment to the area... with the consensus of the Provincial People's Committee, from the beginning of October 2025, the investor of the riverside road project has directed all contractors to use crushed sand to replace natural sand, which is very scarce.

According to experts, this is a very suitable solution for construction works on weak ground in the current period. Because in Vietnam, natural sand resources currently only meet about 40% of construction needs, the risk of future depletion is present if there is no timely alternative solution. Meanwhile, artificial sand has high quality, meets construction standards, and is much cheaper than natural sand. In fact, since the 1980s, many countries have widely used crushed sand to replace river sand. This not only reduces illegal sand mining, limits landslides but also contributes to protecting the natural ecosystem.

Immediately after having suitable sources of raw materials, taking advantage of favorable weather in the last months of the year, the road construction packages of the riverside road project are actively organizing the simultaneous implementation of all items. The investor requires contractors to increase human resources, equipment, work overtime, increase shifts, speed up the construction progress to compensate for the delay due to previous difficulties on the principle of ensuring construction quality, economic efficiency and site safety.

Do Phuong

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/cat-nghien-giai-phap-go-kho-cho-du-an-duong-ven-song-3382411.html