Opportunity to comprehensively renovate route DT606

*Floods and landslides caused traffic congestion on Highway 606. Photo: CONG TU*

Severe damage

Mr. Nguyen Huu Thai (residing in Dai Loc commune) said he is still haunted by the dangerous landslide on route DT606. In early November, while returning from a construction project in Hung Son commune on route DT606, suddenly rocks and soil from the positive slope collapsed in front of Mr. Thai. The volume of the landslide was estimated at hundreds of cubic meters, so with no other choice, Mr. Thai had to return to Hung Son commune to ensure safety.

The DT606 traffic route has many winding sections and small cross-sections, with hills on one side and a deep abyss on the other. If a landslide occurs from the positive slope, the victim will be pushed down to a very deep abyss. Not to mention, there are currently some points with negative slope landslides, such as km23+450 (Tay Giang commune) and km44+420 (Hung Son commune), which can easily lead to road closures and traffic disruptions for many days.

*Landslides frequently recur on Highway 606 during the rainy and stormy season. Photo: CONG TU*

The unit assigned to manage and regularly maintain the DT606 route is Dong Phong Consulting and Construction Joint Stock Company. Mr. Nguyen Van Quang, Deputy Director of Dong Phong Consulting and Construction Joint Stock Company, said that the floods that occurred from October 27 to November 7 and from November 15 to 19 caused landslides on the positive slope at 202 locations and landslides on the negative slope at 16 locations. The volume of landslides from the positive slope is tentatively estimated at 180,370m3. The company and another subcontractor were mobilized to carry out the repair, but the route has not yet reached the end of the route.

According to the statistics of the Department of Construction, the damage caused by recent floods to the DT606 route requires an estimated budget of nearly 38 billion VND. In addition to clearing the landslides, the management unit needs to reinforce the stone cages, dig into the positive slope, and build a new road with cement concrete at 8 locations where the negative slope collapsed. Another location where the negative slope collapsed and broke the road also had to be repaired by digging into the positive slope, pouring cement concrete to make a new road surface.

Opportunity for comprehensive renovation

The DT606 route is over 69.5km long, starting at the intersection with the western branch of Ho Chi Minh Road, in Avuong Commune and ending at Tay Giang Border Gate (Hung Son Commune). It is noteworthy that this unique horizontal axis has 3 road levels including II, V and VI; and 4 sections with different road widths.

Statistics from the Department of Construction show that the road surface of the first 12km is 5.5m wide and has been infiltrated with asphalt since 2005; the next section is a 15m wide asphalt concrete road (total cross-section is 27m wide, in which the sidewalk on each side is 5m wide, the median strip is 2m wide) with a length of just over 2km; the section from km14+588 - km43+200 is an asphalt-paved macadam road, interspersed with some sections of cement concrete surface from 3.5m to 5.5m wide; the section from km43+200 to the end of the route is a 3.5m wide cement concrete road.

*A section of the route through Hung Son commune has just been renovated and upgraded. Photo: CONG TU*

Mr. Tran Ngoc Thanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Construction, said that except for the 27m wide roadbed section of the old inner city of Tay Giang district (now Tay Giang commune), some remaining sections are cement concrete or asphalt pavement that have been used for many years.

According to experts, along with the negative impact of natural disasters, the roadbed and surface of many sections on the DT606 route are severely damaged. The soil and rocks on the hilltops along the route have been weathered over time, and in the rainy season water seeps in but there is no vegetation covering it. In addition, the slope is steep, so there is a high possibility of erosion and landslides.

The DT606 road surface is degraded, the bed is winding and narrow, so it poses a potential risk to traffic safety. Currently, the rainy season has not ended, the road has been severely damaged, many points may have landslides and road breaks again.

Therefore, the competent authorities need to consider allocating resources to comprehensively renovate this route, instead of "fixing where it is broken, patching where it is punctured". Because the budget to allocate to repair the damaged locations due to the current floods is expected to be not small. On the contrary, this east-west traffic axis is very important, not only to promote socio -economic development, bringing closer the development between mountainous areas and the plains, but also has strategic significance for land border security.

In particular, DT606 is the route directly connecting Tay Giang Sub-border Gate, trading from Champasak (Laos) to Da Nang .

Meanwhile, on October 14, 2023, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 1201 approving the planning of border gates on the Vietnam - Laos land border for the 2021 - 2030 period, with a vision to 2050 in Quang Nam province (now Da Nang city). According to the plan, Tay Giang Secondary Border Gate will complete its infrastructure investment before 2029; modern technical equipment and DT606 route will ensure compliance with prescribed criteria and standards; thereby completing the dossier and procedures to request competent authorities to approve upgrading to a main border gate...

Source: https://baodanang.vn/co-hoi-cai-tao-toan-dien-tuyen-dt606-3313688.html