Connecting roads and bridges, transportation takes off.

Connecting the cable-stayed bridge costing over 5 trillion VND - a story only now being told.

Having been involved in the My Thuan 2 bridge project from the beginning, for three Tet holidays, Mr. Trinh Truong Hai, the project's executive director (Project Management Board 7), has personally witnessed and experienced the traffic jams and congestion on the My Thuan 1 bridge before and after Tet.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Duy Lam directs the construction of the My Thuan 2 bridge project on December 6, 2023. Photo: Huynh Nhu.

"Seeing the traffic jams was terrifying; congestion on the bridge lasted from morning till night. Everyone working on the construction site tried their best, working through holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year) to get the My Thuan 2 bridge completed as soon as possible to relieve the load on the My Thuan 1 bridge," Mr. Hai recounted.

The My Thuan 2 Bridge project was undertaken by domestic engineers from project management, design, supervision, and construction. Project Management Board 7 had experience managing the Rach Mieu cable-stayed bridge connecting Tien Giang and Ben Tre (inaugurated on January 19, 2009). However, the My Thuan 2 Bridge is large-scale, with its girder structure constructed approximately 38 meters above river level, and a main span of 350 meters. The project is located at a river junction with two deep erosion pits nearly 42 meters deep, beneath the riverbed near the tower area. The bridge features a large-span cable-stayed structure with bored pile foundations of 2.5 meters in diameter and 115 meters in depth.

The project was assigned to be implemented over 3 years, but 2 of those years were hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing measures. Mr. Hai recalled: "There were times when it seemed impossible to meet the deadline at the end of 2023 as originally planned. With the decisive and consistent direction of Project Management Board 7, the support and close coordination of specialized agencies and localities; implementing supplementary solutions, proactively securing material supplies, updating and publishing material prices, and promptly unlocking capital to mobilize a large quantity of construction materials, we were able to overcome these challenges."

Contractors implemented a "closed bubble" model to combat the pandemic, gradually resolving difficulties affecting progress. The most experienced, capable, and responsible personnel were mobilized to the construction site. In addition to overall progress management, detailed construction plans had to be developed for each item, month by month, and day by day to manage and promptly take corrective measures to compensate for delays.

For cable-stayed bridges, controlling the geometric dimensions of the bridge in general and the longitudinal curve in particular is crucial. However, this is quite complex due to the influence of many objective factors related to the construction sequence, material characteristics, and environmental factors such as temperature and wind.

Therefore, right from the start of construction, the investor directed the construction unit and consultants to coordinate in preparing and clarifying the technical parameters for the construction process. With the application of these solutions, the project has been implemented continuously and efficiently, exceeding the required schedule.

The My Thuan 2 Bridge was inaugurated on December 24th, along with the My Thuan - Can Tho Expressway. The Ho Chi Minh City - Can Tho Expressway, over 121km long, has now been officially opened. This Tet holiday, there will no longer be traffic jams on the old My Thuan Bridge, and the journey home for family reunions will be significantly shortened for many people.

Crushing rocks instead of soil for highway construction.

Having spent three years working on the Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet expressway project, Mr. Phan Quoc Huy, Director of the Project Management Board, still vividly remembers that everyone had to wear masks when the project commenced. During implementation, the construction site was sometimes shut down due to many staff members contracting Covid-19. A shortage of earth fill materials meant that areas where the roadbed had already been excavated turned into rivers during the rainy season. The leaders of Project Management Board 7 proactively worked with relevant authorities to promptly issue special mechanisms regarding the supply of earth fill materials.

The completion of the Vinh Hao – Phan Thiet expressway has boosted the economic and social development of the central provinces.

Simultaneously, they proactively reported to the Ministry of Transport to request permission to crush rocks from mountain demolition to use as fill soil. Although the cost was higher than using soil, there were no additional costs compared to the signed contract. This resolved the issue of nearly 2 million out of a total of 9.2 million cubic meters of fill soil for the entire project.

It wasn't until mid-2022 that the most significant difficulties regarding materials were fundamentally resolved. During the peak period, the entire construction site mobilized over 1,000 vehicles and main equipment, along with more than 3,000 staff and workers, focusing all their efforts on working three shifts and four teams. The number mobilized was three times greater than what was required in the tender documents.

Project Management Board 7 and the Project Executive Board promptly handled acceptance and payment procedures to create cash flow for contractors to organize construction and ensure progress. Working day and night, whenever a contractor had work to be done, the relevant departments closely monitored the work on-site, determining the volume as quickly as possible, even in the middle of the night, so that payment documents could be submitted the following morning.

Conversely, for contractors who fail to demonstrate progress, the Board requires the addition of new subcontractors and the replacement of underperforming construction teams across all four contract packages. The main contractor must reclaim the work from the delayed subcontractors to either complete it themselves or transfer it to joint venture partners.

For the first time on a large construction site, following the Prime Minister's directive, the Ministry of Transport launched a campaign to "120 days and nights of technical opening for traffic on 4 expressway projects: Mai Son - National Highway 45, Cam Lo - La Son, Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet, Phan Thiet - Dau Giay". The campaign will run from September 2022 to the end of December 2022.

With the strong attention and direction of the Government and the Ministry of Transport, the support of ministries, sectors, and localities, and the efforts and dedication of Project Management Board 7, contractors, supervisory consultants, and participating units, the project successfully completed its assigned political task and was put into operation on May 19, 2023.

"Personally, I and the individuals and units involved in the project are very proud of this achievement. This is the result of a whole process of tireless striving and effort," Mr. Huy said.

For the first time, Binh Thuan province welcomed over 8.5 million tourists, generating total tourism revenue exceeding 23,000 billion VND, nearly double that of 2022, becoming one of the nine provinces and cities with tourism revenue exceeding 10,000 billion VND.

In 2023, Ninh Thuan province also welcomed nearly 3 million tourists, and the province aims to attract over 3.2 million tourists in 2024.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/cau-duong-noi-thong-giao-thong-cat-canh-192240211125955336.htm