Thousand-billion-dong bridge with exposed foundation, BOT director says 'unimaginable'

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As VietNamNet has reported, recently, due to the low water level of the Red River, the foundations of the Van Lang bridge pillars have been exposed.

Reporters observed on January 13th that many bridge piers had exposed pile foundations, with the distance from the water surface to the top of the piles being approximately 50cm; the concrete lining at the bottom of some piers was also fractured. On the same day, sand dredging vessels were operating extensively in the downstream area of ​​the Van Lang bridge.

The concrete base layer on some bridge piers has fractured. Photo: Duc Hoang

Responding to a reporter , Mr. Le Minh Nghia, Director of Phu Ha BOT Co., Ltd. (the investor of Van Lang Bridge), confirmed: Following VietNamNet's report on the bridge's current condition, the company has conducted an inspection. Mr. Nghia said that the Ministry of Transport will also inspect the current structure and quality of Van Lang Bridge in the near future.

According to Mr. Nghia, initial assessments indicate that the main pillars and pile foundations of the bridge are currently in good condition. In particular, the entire pile foundation system of the Van Lang bridge was constructed using the bored pile method, ensuring a permanent structure.

A dredging vessel operates downstream of the Van Lang bridge. Photo: Duc Hoang

Despite assuring everyone that the bridge was safe, Mr. Nghia exclaimed, "It's unbelievable that the riverbed has dropped by about 4-5 meters compared to the calculations. As far as I know, the height of the bridge pier is 2.5 meters, and the foundation was constructed using deep piles. Therefore, under normal circumstances, the bridge pier would be submerged in water."

Mr. Le Minh Nghia added that the intense operation of sand dredging vessels has lowered the riverbed and will certainly affect the quality of the bridge.

The Van Lang Bridge, opened to traffic in 2018, has its starting point on the Hanoi side connecting to National Highway 32 (in Phu Son commune, Ba Vi district). Its end point on the Phu Tho side intersects with National Highway 32C (in Tho Son ward, Viet Tri city).

The total length of the bridge and approach roads is approximately 9.46 km. Of this, the bridge itself spans the river for about 1.55 km. The Van Lang Bridge has a total investment of nearly 1,500 billion VND.

The Red River has dried up completely, revealing the foundations of the billion-dollar bridge connecting Hanoi and Phu Tho.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/cau-nghin-ty-lo-ca-mong-giam-doc-bot-noi-khong-the-tuong-tuong-duoc-2362963.html