Phong Chau Bridge completed ahead of schedule, expanding development opportunities for the homeland

Photo caption — Phong Chau bridge's surface has been paved with asphalt and lane markings. Photo: Dao An/VNA

After more than 9 months since the groundbreaking date (December 21, 2024), with the drastic participation of the Government, ministries, branches and Phu Tho province, along with the spirit of working day and night of thousands of engineers and workers, the new Phong Chau bridge has been completed, waiting for the inauguration day to serve the people. The bridge is nearly 3 months ahead of schedule and saves investment costs up to hundreds of billions of VND.

Reconnect traffic arteries

Phong Chau Bridge across the Red River, part of National Highway 32C, is a vital traffic route connecting the Northern midland and mountainous region with the Red River Delta. When the old bridge suddenly collapsed during storm No. 3 in early September 2024, trade, travel and freight transportation were disrupted, forcing thousands of households to take a detour of dozens of kilometers to cross the river.

The Phong Chau bridge collapse caused many people and vehicles to fall into the river, causing loss and damage, and traffic disruption. Immediately after that, the Government assigned the Ministry of Construction and the Thang Long Project Management Board to study, develop a plan and implement the new Phong Chau bridge project under a special mechanism, using the central budget reserve fund with a total investment of more than 635 billion VND.

On December 21, 2024, the project was started with great expectations from the local government and people. The new bridge is designed to be 652m long, 20.5m wide, with a design speed of 80km/h. The main structure is reinforced concrete and prestressed reinforced concrete; in which, the main span consists of 3 continuous girder spans, constructed by the balanced cantilever method. The abutments and pillars are made of reinforced concrete, bored pile foundations, combined with two-way access roads connecting to National Highway 32C. The main construction unit is Truong Son Construction Corporation (Army Corps 12) with the participation of many subcontractors.

Immediately after the groundbreaking ceremony, hundreds of engineers, workers and modern machinery and equipment were mobilized to the construction site. Since the beginning of 2025, on the Red River alluvial plain, the sound of boring machines, welding of steel bars, and pouring of concrete has been bustling day and night. In harsh weather conditions, sometimes with scorching heat of 40 degrees, sometimes with prolonged heavy rain, Phong Chau bridge workers still stick to the construction site, divided into 3 shifts, 4 teams to maintain progress.

Colonel Tran Ngoc Tuan, Director of Truong Son 9 Management Board (12th Army Corps) said: To ensure the shortening of time, the units have deployed many synchronous solutions: increasing the working shift 24/24 hours, mobilizing more construction equipment, applying advanced balanced cantilever casting technology. At the same time, organizing close technical supervision to avoid errors. Thanks to that, each important item such as bored pile foundation, bridge pier construction, main girder installation, balanced cantilever casting were all completed ahead of schedule.

By the end of August, after nearly 250 days of continuous construction, the bridge was finally closed. This is considered an important milestone, marking the reconnection of the two banks of the Red River. Currently, the final items have been completed and are ready for the inauguration of the bridge on September 28.

Bridge of Trust

After more than 9 months of construction, the new Phong Chau bridge has demonstrated the spirit of "overcoming the sun and rain, staying on the construction site day and night" of the soldiers - engineers, workers of the 12th Army Corps and related units. They have made a miracle by completing the large-scale, technically complex project in less than 10 months, nearly 3 months shorter than planned.

Mr. Tran Kim Ngoc, a construction worker at the new Phong Chau bridge project, shared that there were days when it rained heavily and the ground was muddy, making it very difficult to transport materials. When the sun was hot, the bridge surface and steel were burning, sweat soaked their shirts, but they still encouraged each other to try. Thinking about the day the bridge was completed, when people would no longer be crowded and congested on the old bridge, they felt happy and had more motivation to work harder.

The newly put into use Phong Chau Bridge will completely restore traffic on National Highway 32C, the vital route connecting Phu Tho with Lao Cai , Tuyen Quang and the Red River Delta, especially creating favorable conditions for local people.

Ms. Bui Thi Ngoc Lan, Zone 12, Tam Nong Commune, Phu Tho Province emotionally shared: "For more than a year now, we have had to go in a long detour, which is both costly and dangerous. Now that the new bridge is almost completed, everyone is happy. We know that the workers have worked hard day and night. Seeing the bridge grow bigger, we feel very grateful."

Mr. Nguyen Van Thuat, Xuan Lung commune, Phu Tho province shared that with the attention of the Party, State and Government, Phong Chau bridge has just started construction, everyone is looking forward to it every day to be able to travel conveniently as before. After nearly a year of urgent construction, with the tireless efforts of engineers, workers and close direction of authorities at all levels, the bridge has now been completed and is ready to be put into use. The long-standing wish has come true, the people of Xuan Lung in particular and neighboring communes in general are excited and happy because not only can they travel conveniently and safely but also open up opportunities for economic development, trade of goods, contributing to improving their lives...

Crystallization of collective will and strength

Looking back at the construction of the new Phong Chau bridge, it can be seen that this is the crystallization of determination from the central to local levels, of the strength of solidarity between the investor, the construction unit, the supervision consultant and the people. In the context of harsh weather and urgent progress pressure, each cadre, engineer and worker did not mind the hardship, "eating and sleeping in shacks" to complete the project on time.

In just 9 months, a modern bridge, nearly 653 m long and more than 20 m wide, spanning the Red River has taken shape, preparing to reconnect the two banks, opening up new opportunities for the development of the homeland. The inauguration of the bridge on September 28 is not only a joy for the people of Phu Tho but also a testament to the spirit of "speed, determination, efficiency" in investing in the country's transport infrastructure.

During his visit and inspection of the Phong Chau bridge construction site in Phu Tho province on August 9, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh praised the spirit of "overcoming the sun and rain" of officers, soldiers, engineers and workers at the construction site.

The Prime Minister emphasized that Phong Chau Bridge is not only a traffic project, but also a symbol of the aspiration for sustainable development of the Northern midland region. The Prime Minister reiterated the spirit of "Glory only comes to those who are punctual"; hoping that units will make efforts to complete the bridge, complete the opening to traffic on schedule, and create favorable conditions for people to travel.