Management issue: 18 bridges left unfinished due to lack of access roads.

A series of bridges, worth hundreds of billions of dong, remain unfinished despite having their main structures completed, due to a lack of access roads. The story of these 18 "deformed" bridges not only causes traffic congestion but also serves as a wake-up call regarding loopholes in management, coordination, and land clearance.

Hundreds of billions of dong from the state budget and taxpayers' money are being "tied up" in concrete blocks that have yet to realize their value.

The ironic situation

In Da Nang city, residents have long yearned for new bridges to "connect the shores of joy," shortening the distance for trade. However, this joy is short-lived, as many construction projects, after completing the main bridge sections, have... stopped, leaving only bare concrete blocks exposed to the sun and rain.

This delay is not simply a matter of a few projects falling behind schedule; it has far-reaching consequences. Thousands of billions of dong from the state budget and taxpayers' money are tied up in concrete structures that have yet to be utilized. While prefabricated bridge girders are exposed to the elements and begin to rust, and the contractor's machinery and equipment lie scattered, public investment capital is facing a bottleneck.

Residents have long harbored doubts about the management capabilities, planning, and accountability of relevant agencies. Instead of being able to travel across modern bridges that only take a few minutes, people in many outlying communes still have to take much longer detours or risk their lives crossing precarious makeshift paths.

The Tay An 1 and Tay An 2 bridge projects are a prime example. Spanning the Cau Chim River and connecting Nam Phuoc and Duy Xuyen communes, Tay An 1 and Tay An 2 bridges are two components of the Flood Bypass and Urban Development project (in Duy Xuyen district, former Quang Nam province) with a total investment of approximately 250 billion VND. Construction began in April 2020, and although the bridge sections have long been completed, both bridges are still not operational due to the lack of synchronized access road systems.

According to observations, the area around the two bridges is devoid of workers and machinery. The two ends of the bridges have not yet been connected, forcing residents to take detours or use temporary routes, posing a potential traffic safety risk. Seeing this multi-billion dollar project lying idle for years, unfinished, residents can't help but feel regretful about the wasted state budget.

While prefabricated bridge girders exposed to the elements are beginning to show signs of rust, and the contractor's machinery and equipment lie scattered around, public investment capital is in a state of "bottleneck".

Speaking with reporters, Mr. Le Van Thu, a resident of Trung Dong village, Duy Xuyen commune (a farmer cultivating rice fields right next to the construction site), expressed his concern that the project, which has been halted for a long time, is causing a waste of resources, with hundreds of billions of dong worth of public assets lying idle through many rainy seasons.

Similarly, the Quang Da bridge project connecting Hoa Tien commune and Dien Ban Bac ward (with an investment of 274 billion VND), despite having undergone technical testing nearly a year ago, will still not allow normal traffic flow by mid-2026 because people are still waiting for more than 4.5 km of access roads to be completed. Or the Tam Tien bridge and access road project in Tam Xuan commune (Da Nang), a key transportation project over 4 km long with a total investment of approximately 220 billion VND, started construction at the end of 2020 but is currently stalled and unfinished.

In areas without proper access roads, local residents have to create makeshift, uneven dirt ramps to climb onto bridges. Many people have to push their vehicles step by step, slipping and falling, and traffic accidents have even occurred. In some places, bridges were completed 5-6 years ago, but weeds still grow profusely where there should be paved roads.

According to statistics from the Da Nang Investment and Construction Project Management Board for Transportation and Agriculture Projects, the city currently has 18 bridges that have been built but whose approach roads are incomplete. Obstacles related to land clearance and construction materials are the main reasons cited by investors. Compensation and resettlement for residents affected by the approach roads often take a long time.

Furthermore, the scarcity and soaring prices of construction materials (such as embankment soil, sand, and stone) in the recent period have also caused contractors to slow down. The lack of decisive action and coordination is also a reason for the "bridge waiting for the road to be built" situation.

The Tay An 1 and Tay An 2 bridges (part of the Nam Phuoc Flood Bypass and Urban Development Project) span the Cau Chim River, connecting Duy Xuyen and Nam Phuoc communes. This is a key bridge project in the border area with a total investment of nearly 100 billion VND. Although the bridge structures are largely complete, these projects cannot yet be put into operation due to land clearance issues and a lack of land for access roads.

Bridges and approach roads are often separated into distinct contract packages, with some inter-regional bridge projects even managed by different entities. Construction of the bridge itself (concentrated in a narrow strip of space on the river) is much easier than constructing the approach roads (which stretch across land and affect the land rights of many households). The lack of decisive action in resolving land acquisition issues before construction begins, coupled with the mindset of "doing the easy part first, leaving the difficult part for later," has led to this serious mismatch.

"Ultimate" and personalizing responsibility

In response to public concerns and the urgent need to disburse public investment funds, the Da Nang City People's Committee has taken decisive action to resolve this "quagmire." The Chairman of the Da Nang City People's Committee issued Official Document No. 1966/UBND-ĐTĐT dated March 23, 2026, outlining "mandatory" solutions for all investors, departments, and relevant localities.

Da Nang demands an immediate end to the practice of shirking responsibility. Each project must have a detailed, day-by-day roadmap with clearly defined completion deadlines. The city will assign specific leaders to be in charge of each bridge project, serving as a basis for evaluating performance and imposing disciplinary action if delays continue.

For consulting firms and construction contractors who deliberately carry out work slowly or lack sufficient financial capacity and machinery, the city will resolutely publicly name them and is ready to terminate their contracts to replace them with more capable units, absolutely not allowing the situation of "prolonged delays".

Communes and wards through which the project passes must mobilize the entire political system to campaign and apply flexible and legally sound compensation mechanisms to hand over clean land to the construction unit. At the same time, the city should proactively coordinate material sources and prioritize the supply of fill soil for these access road projects to accelerate the comprehensive "joining" process.

Although the main structure of the Xi'an 1 and Xi'an 2 bridges has been completed, they are not yet open to traffic due to a lack of connecting access roads, affecting the movement of people in the area.

In May 2026, the leaders of Da Nang city continued to sign official documents directing the handling of difficulties and obstacles related to the Tam Tien bridge project; the Tay An 1, Tay An 2, Cho Dun, Ly Ly bridges and railway overpass projects.

Regarding the Tam Tien bridge and access road, in Official Letter No. 3547/UBND-ĐTĐT dated May 7th, Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Tran Nam Hung requested the Standing Committee of the Tam Xuan Commune Party Committee to focus its leadership, and instructed the Chairman of the Tam Xuan Commune People's Committee to preside over and coordinate with relevant agencies and units to focus on reviewing and implementing the compensation and land clearance work decisively and urgently, handing over the remaining area before June 15th, 2026 (this is the final extension deadline), in order to promptly hand over the land for the project's construction to ensure progress. In case of delays in land handover, the Secretary of the Party Committee and the Chairman of the Commune People's Committee will be held responsible before the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee and the City People's Committee leadership.

Regarding the Tay An 1 and Tay An 2 bridge projects, the Da Nang City People's Committee requires that all outstanding issues and obstacles be resolved definitively, ensuring the allocation of resettlement land for affected households; in cases exceeding their authority, they must report and propose to the City People's Committee for consideration and direction. The contractor is urged to mobilize sufficient manpower, machinery, equipment, and materials to continue construction of the remaining items by May 2026. If the contractor fails to meet the schedule, their capacity should be reviewed and reassessed to develop a timely solution in accordance with the law.

Representatives from the Da Nang Project Management Board for Investment and Construction of Transportation and Agricultural Projects stated that the primary objective is to prevent any further bridge completion projects from requiring road construction. The Board is implementing a solution to temporarily utilize existing structures that meet safety standards.

Looking out over the river from the old, dilapidated bridge, one could only see some of the new bridge's piers and abutments, with the bridge span remaining suspended in the middle of the river.

A bridge is only truly a bridge when it connects two banks and facilitates the seamless flow of people and goods. The lesson from the 18 bridges lacking access roads in Da Nang is a valuable example showing that in infrastructure development, a comprehensive planning mindset and the implementation and supervision capacity of the management agency are the decisive factors, not just the amount of money poured into the project. Da Nang's decisive action to definitively address the "disease" of project delays is a welcome sign, expected to soon restore the true value of multi-billion dollar projects and regain public trust.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/chuyen-quan-ly-18-cay-cau-dap-chieu-vi-thieu-duong-dan-20260521170749491.htm