The longest bridge on the North-South expressway before its opening.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - The Hung Duc Bridge, over 4km long, connecting the two banks of the Lam River, is nearing completion. After its opening to traffic at the end of June, it will be the longest bridge on the North-South expressway.

In mid-June, the Hung Duc bridge, part of the North-South Expressway Eastern section (2017-2020), the Dien Chau (Nghe An) - Bai Vot ( Ha Tinh ) segment, was nearing completion.

According to the design, the Hung Duc bridge is nearly 4.1km long, with a total investment value of over 1,200 billion VND. The project commenced in 2022 and was undertaken by a consortium of contractors including Dai Hiep Co., Ltd., Thai Yen Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company, Hoa Hiep Co., Ltd., and CIENCO4 Group Joint Stock Company.

Besides crossing the Lam River, the Hung Duc Bridge also traverses alluvial plains, the La River, the La Giang dike, residential areas, and rice fields. Speaking with a reporter from Dan Tri newspaper , Mr. Nguyen Quoc Viet, General Director of Phuc Thanh Hung Investment Joint Stock Company (a company established by the investor to implement the project), stated that, to date, the Hung Duc Bridge is the longest road bridge on the entire North-South Expressway. According to Mr. Viet, once completed, the Dien Chau - Bai Vot Expressway in general, and the Hung Duc Bridge in particular, will gradually contribute to the formation of a high-capacity, safe, and high-speed North-South Expressway in the east, meeting transportation needs and aligning with the transportation development orientation and planning. The project will also help connect the economic and political centers of Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces in particular, and the North Central region in general.

According to the plan, the remaining 19km of the Dien Chau - Bai Vot expressway (from Hung Nguyen, Nghe An to Duc Tho, Ha Tinh) will be opened to traffic on June 30th. These days, the workers are busy completing the final tasks, such as installing mesh panels on the median strip of Hung Duc bridge.

Long, a worker from Duc Tho district, Ha Tinh province, has been working on the Hung Duc bridge construction site since its early days. "I am very happy that after two years, the bridge is almost complete, ensuring the set schedule. The North-South expressway will help the whole country in general and Ha Tinh in particular to develop further," Mr. Long shared.

At various other construction sites, workers and engineers are rushing to complete the installation of railings, signs, equipment, and bridge expansion joints.

The Hung Duc Bridge has 90 spans, is 17.5m wide with 4 lanes, and has a design speed of 80km/h.

When the Hung Duc bridge and the Dien Chau - Bai Vot expressway are opened to traffic, vehicles will be able to travel from the north to the National Highway 8 intersection in Duc Tho district (Ha Tinh province) and vice versa.

Upon completion, the Hung Duc bridge, connecting the two banks of the Lam River (Hung Nguyen district, Nghe An province with Duc Tho district, Ha Tinh province), will be the longest bridge on the North-South expressway.

The Hung Duc bridge is located parallel to the old National Highway 1A, spanning the Lam River and its tributaries (Image: Google Maps).

The Dien Chau - Bai Vot expressway project has a total investment of VND 13,338 billion, passing through the districts of Dien Chau, Nghi Loc, and Hung Nguyen in Nghe An province (44.4km) and Duc Tho district in Ha Tinh province (4.9km). By the end of April, the main route was basically completed and opened to traffic from Dien Chau to the intersection with National Highway 46B in Hung Tay commune, Hung Nguyen district, with a length of approximately 30km. The remaining more than 19km from the intersection with National Highway 46B - Bai Vot will be opened to traffic later (June 30th) due to the prolonged process of treating weak soil foundations, requiring time for settlement.

Dantri.com.vn