Phong Chau Bridge - a symbolic work of revival

When Phong Chau Bridge is put into operation, it will help reduce traffic pressure. (Photo: LE KHANH)

The project was completed just over 9 months after the groundbreaking date, 3 months ahead of the Prime Minister 's schedule, marking a record for construction time in the construction industry, meeting people's expectations.

The new Phong Chau Bridge, with its permanent scale and three times wider than the old bridge, will restore the vital traffic route, creating a driving force to promote socio -economic development, connecting trade between the northern midland and mountainous provinces, contributing to improving the material and spiritual life of the people.

Construction work without a minute of rest

On September 9, 2024, due to the impact of super typhoon Yagi causing heavy rain and floods, Phong Chau bridge on National Highway 32C connecting Phung Nguyen and Van Xuan communes (Phu Tho province) collapsed two main spans. Due to the urgency, the Government decided to implement the project to build a new Phong Chau bridge under an emergency order, assigning the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of National Defense, directly the 12th Army Corps (Truong Son) to carry out the project with the requirement to complete the project before December 22, 2025.

The new Phong Chau Bridge was started on December 21, 2024, with the Thang Long Project Management Board (Ministry of Construction) as the investor, 653m long, 20.5m wide, permanent scale with 4 lanes for motor vehicles, total investment of more than 635 billion VND from the central budget reserve. The main bridge consists of 3 continuous spans made of prestressed reinforced concrete box girders, constructed using the balanced cantilever method with a central span of 120m, two side spans of 70m. The approach bridge on the Phung Nguyen commune side consists of 3 I-beam spans made of prestressed reinforced concrete, 33m long and 2 spans of reinforced concrete slab girders. Based on the identification of the "critical paths and bottlenecks" of the project, immediately after the groundbreaking ceremony, the contractor quickly organized 5 construction teams: Old bridge dismantling team, riverbank reinforcement team, approach bridge construction team, 2 construction teams of T4 and T5 pillars. Engineer Luong Van Long, Head of the Executive Board, Director of Phong Chau Bridge Project Management, said: Currently, the main items such as the substructure, cantilever, bridge deck, expansion joints, railings, lighting system have been completed. Units are rushing to complete some final items such as line painting, bridge deck drainage system, median strip adjustment, signs, etc.

“The Phong Chau bridge construction site has fully demonstrated the saying: “Working through holidays and Tet, working in 3 shifts and 4 teams” because from the start of construction until completion, the units took turns working without a single minute of rest, pouring concrete for bored piles on pier T4 on New Year's Eve, and pouring concrete for bored piles on pier T5 on the afternoon of the first day of Tet. Due to the pressure of progress and the motivation to complete the project as soon as possible, serving the travel needs of the people, the contractor mobilized hundreds of machines and equipment, doubled the number of workers compared to the contract commitment, and coordinated with each other very smoothly. When the “critical path” of bored pile drilling, pouring concrete for the base and body of pier T4 and T5 under the river to cross the small flood (mid-April 2025) was completed, the units could breathe a sigh of relief, having the basis to speed up the progress of the next items. In fact, the total construction time of the bridge was only 9 months and 7 days, while many similar projects It took about 2 years to complete. This can be considered a new record in bridge construction and is a result that the investor and contractor never dared to think of at the time of surveying the terrain with countless difficulties at that time...", engineer Luong Van Long confided.

Absolute guarantee of safety and quality

The entire Phong Chau bridge has 79 bored piles, 1,500-2,000mm in diameter, 40-55m deep. Due to the complex geology of the riverbed in the area, drilling 15m deep has reached the rock layer, but next is a layer of mud about 14m thick, if an uncontrollable situation arises, handling will be very difficult and take months. To stabilize the pile wall, in addition to using casing, construction units must apply experience in identifying risks, providing appropriate construction solutions for each pile and this item has exceeded the planned progress by nearly half a month.

Currently, the main items such as the substructure, cantilever, bridge deck, expansion joints, railings, and lighting system have been completed. The units are rushing to complete some final items such as line painting, bridge deck drainage system, median strip adjustment, signs, etc. "Engineer Luong Van Long, Head of the Executive Board, Project Management Director of Phong Chau Bridge"

In particular, the K0 concrete block pouring category for the top of the column (20.5m wide, 7m high), normally other projects take about 60 days, but at the project, the 12th Army Corps (Truong Son) only took 22 days to construct. From the time of drilling the bored piles to the completion of the K0 concrete pouring, it only took 4 months. Each balanced cantilever segment normally takes 7 days, the contractor calculated in detail, shortening it by 2 days. During the past summer, in order to not be affected by the rain and sun, the contractor built a roof on the casting frame, worked continuously, and accelerated the progress.

Before the "G hour", when super typhoon Ragasa was about to make landfall, Colonel Nguyen Tuan Anh, Deputy Commander of the 12th Army Corps, Deputy General Director of Truong Son Construction Corporation, directly inspected the completion of items at the construction site. "On the morning of September 24, when hearing that Phong Chau bridge had been completed, an old man over 90 years old in Van Xuan commune asked his children and grandchildren to take him to see it, then walked across the bridge to Phung Nguyen commune. He hugged me, tears welling up in his eyes as he thanked the soldiers. After more than 30 years of working on traffic projects, this is the project that left me with the most special emotions about the relationship between the army and the people. This is a project that has received attention from the entire political system, from leaders of the Party, the State, ministries, branches, local authorities and people as well as the whole society. Local people often bring food and drinks to the construction site to encourage the construction workers," Colonel Nguyen Tuan Anh confided.

Engineer Nguyen Duy Tien, Chief Consultant of Thang Long Construction Quality Supervision Consulting Joint Stock Company, the consulting unit supervising the Phong Chau Bridge project, said that after nearly a year of working at the construction site, at this moment, he has many mixed emotions that are difficult to describe. The happiest thing is that the construction site ensures absolute labor safety, no one has had any serious accidents, although the bridge construction has many potential safety risks. At first, looking at the messy construction site, no local people believed that the bridge could be completed in 1 year. However, when seeing the units mobilize hundreds of specialized equipment and machinery, arranging construction teams to work day and night, through holidays and Tet, they were completely "convinced", believing that the soldiers could do it.

Colonel Nguyen Tuan Anh said: Phong Chau Bridge is not only a key traffic project, but also a symbol of revival, of the spirit of overcoming difficulties, of military strength and discipline, and of the heroic tradition of Truong Son Troops. The inauguration day of the project (September 28), if calculated according to the lunar calendar, is August 7, exactly one year after the Phong Chau Bridge collapse... The new Phong Chau Bridge, in addition to "breaking the record" in terms of progress, also meets the requirements of aesthetics and very high standards of quality, worthy of being a symbol of solidarity and determination to overcome difficulties. The project is not only a key traffic connection point, creating momentum for the country's economic development, but also holds an important strategic position, consolidating national defense and security, connecting the rear with the front line, serving the task of developing and protecting the Fatherland in the new situation.

Source: https://baolaichau.vn/xa-hoi/cau-phong-chau-cong-trinh-bieu-tuong-cua-su-hoi-sinh-1086083