Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Nguyen Thanh Hai surveyed the state of deterioration of Song Lo bridge piers, Phu Tho province.

On the afternoon of November 11, the survey team of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment led by Central Party Committee member and Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Nguyen Thanh Hai conducted a survey of the actual state of deterioration of Song Lo bridge piers in Phu Tho province to serve the review and completion of the draft Law on Construction (amended) and other related laws, to be submitted to the National Assembly for consideration and approval at the 10th Session.

Chairman of the Committee for Science , Technology and Environment Nguyen Thanh Hai and the working group conducted a field survey at the Song Lo Bridge project, Doan Hung commune, Phu Tho province.

According to the report of the State Appraisal Department on construction quality, the Lo River Bridge was started in 2010 and completed in 2015, with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Phu Tho province as the investor. At the time of inspection in 2024, many bridge piers were deeply eroded, bored piles were exposed, concrete was broken, steel was rusted and it was not clear whether it had been inspected and accepted by a specialized construction agency or not.

Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Nguyen Thanh Hai and the working group conducted a field survey at the Song Lo Bridge project, Doan Hung commune, Phu Tho province.

After the field survey, Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Nguyen Thanh Hai and the working delegation worked with the People's Committee of Phu Tho province.

Reporting further on the serious deterioration of the Lo River bridge, Vice Chairman of Phu Tho Provincial People's Committee Quach Tat Liem said that the Lo River bridge had a total investment of 231 billion VND, implemented in 2010 and completed in 2015.

Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Nguyen Thanh Hai and the working group conducted a field survey at the Song Lo Bridge project, Doan Hung commune, Phu Tho province.

Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Nguyen Thanh Hai and the working group conducted a field survey at the Song Lo Bridge project, Doan Hung commune, Phu Tho province.

In 2024, the Department of Construction of Phu Tho province directed the inspection of all 47 bridges in the area, of which the Lo River Bridge was assessed to have deteriorated in quality and was included in the list of bridges in need of repair. The locality hired experts, consulting units, and leading experts in the field of bridges and roads to assess the situation and find solutions. Regarding the Lo River Bridge, the province directed the relevant agencies to coordinate with the central agencies to basically complete the inspection and determine the load capacity to separate traffic for certain types of vehicles.

Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Nguyen Thanh Hai spoke at the working session with the People's Committee of Phu Tho province.

According to the provincial leadership representative, when the units got involved in the verification, the contractor of the Lo River Bridge project accepted responsibility and issued a document confirming that they would pay to fix the problem and provide a lifetime warranty for the project. Although experts have assessed that the bridge piers do not meet the design, the solution, according to the Vice Chairman of the Phu Tho Provincial People's Committee, must wait until after the inspection results are available to assess the level of deterioration in the quality of the project, from which specific solutions can be found, and efforts will be made to complete this work in November.

At the meeting, Vice Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Tran Van Khai was interested in the locality's proposal on construction monitoring; at the same time, he said that periodic monitoring of important bridge projects should be regulated in the Construction Law.

Vice Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Tran Van Khai

Regarding handling incidents in emergency situations, if following the correct procedures, it will take a lot of time. Therefore, the Vice Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment proposed to allow the use of temporary conclusions of experts as the basis for handling. The Draft Law on Construction stipulates the transition from pre-inspection to post-inspection, but if the contractor is not competent, when an incident occurs at the project, it will be "very tiring to handle". Therefore, it is necessary to consider mandatory inspection for large projects, and at the same time increase sanctions and responsibilities of related entities.

Concluding the meeting, Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Nguyen Thanh Hai highly appreciated the province's quick response and timely handling. However, the incident also raised big questions about the quality of construction and acceptance... This is a typical example of the need to review legal regulations, not leaving legal gaps.

The Chairman of the Committee on Science, Technology and Environment pointed out that there are currently a number of issues related to the capacity of investors that require clear regulations on professional capacity criteria for the agency assigned to be the investor. The current regulations related to contractor capacity also do not have a mechanism for independent assessment of contractor capacity. This can easily lead to the situation of borrowing capacity, joint ventures... The draft law also does not stipulate legal responsibilities and compulsory occupational insurance obligations for consultants and supervisors...

Chairman of Phu Tho Provincial People's Committee Tran Duy Dong speaks at the meeting

Regarding the issue of inspection and maintenance, the Chairman of the Committee on Science, Technology and Environment noted that there is currently no periodic inspection of key traffic works. The Ministry of Construction previously had regulations on monitoring, but each unit had a different focal point. Now that the Ministry of Construction has a single focal point, there needs to be a unified document.

The Chairman of the Committee on Science, Technology and Environment also raised the issue of whether the current inspection period of a project of 10 years should be reduced to 5 years or not? At the same time, it is recommended that there should be regulations on sanctions to ensure deterrence. In addition, it is necessary to clarify the issue related to post-inspection of partial or partial projects, each phase or post-inspection of the entire project after completion.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/chu-nhiem-uy-ban-khoa-hoc-cong-nghe-va-moi-truong-nguyen-thanh-hai-khao-sat-tinh-trang-xuong-cap-tru-cau-song-lo-tinh-phu-tho-10395288.html