Traffic construction sites continued working throughout the Tet holiday.

With Tet (Lunar New Year) approaching, the atmosphere at key transportation project construction sites remains bustling with activity.

Engineers and workers are mentally prepared and encouraging their families to stay and work on the airport, highway, and ring road projects throughout the Tet holiday.

"Dad won't be coming home for Tet this year."

Arriving at the Long Thanh airport passenger terminal around 9 am, we found a group of workers taking a break and drinking water. We listened attentively to Mr. Nguyen Van Tam's phone call via the Zalo application.

At key transportation projects, contractors have planned for construction work to continue during the Tet holiday well in advance. (In the photo: Worker Nguyen Xuan Huan driving a road roller on the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway). Photo: Nguyen Nham.

On the other end of the line was the sweet, clear voice of a little girl, about 7 years old. "Dad, I like the pink Elsa princess dress, I like mango candy... Please buy them for me when you come home for Tet. Remember to come home for Tet, Dad..."

His young daughter's brief, whining request for gifts back home in Ha Tinh made Mr. Tam pause for a few seconds. He nodded, smiled at his daughter, but a hint of sadness flickered across his face. Then he hung up. He wouldn't be coming home for Tet this year.

Mr. Tam said that he was one of the first people to work at the Long Thanh airport construction site, having done many different jobs. This year, he and his colleagues are working on the roof of the terminal building. This is the second consecutive year he has decided to stay at the construction site for the sake of the project's overall progress.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tam is cleaning the steel plates at the passenger terminal in preparation for installation.

"I live in Ha Tinh, my two young children are still in school, and my wife works in the fields. Every day, whenever I have free time or a break, I call home to my wife and children. My children also whine and beg their father to come home for Tet, and sometimes I feel heartbroken. But the project is under tight deadlines; if everyone takes time off, who will do the work? I'm trying to stay at the construction site with my colleagues, and we'll figure things out after Tet," he confided.

When asked about his plans for Tet (Lunar New Year), he smiled and said, "I send all my money home to my family for Tet. It's fun working at the construction site during Tet; the pay is three times higher than usual. The company even gives gifts and organizes Tet celebrations at the site, so it's warm and full of family. Whenever I miss home, I can call them; it's so convenient with technology now."

Put aside personal feelings for the common good.

Leaving Long Thanh Airport, our reporter arrived at component project 1 of the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway, the section passing through Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province. Amidst the sweltering afternoon sun at the end of the year, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Huan, a road roller driver (from Khanh Hoa province), was still diligently rolling his machine to compact the roadbed.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan is working on steel reinforcement at component project 1 of the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway.

He said his wife and children all live in his hometown with his mother and grandparents on both sides. Every year, the family gathers together for Tet (Lunar New Year) and enjoys the festivities. Last year he was able to go home early, but this year he will probably stay longer.

"The company doesn't have a plan yet, but it's likely we'll be working through the Lunar New Year holiday. If my colleagues stay, I'll also sign up to contribute to the project's completion. Every evening after work, I video call home, listen to the kids talk about their studies, and hear their parents' advice. Seeing both sets of parents and my children healthy gives me peace of mind to go to work," Huân said.

Similar to Long Thanh Airport and the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway, the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3, specifically the Nhon Trach Bridge section extending through Dong Nai, is also undergoing equally active construction.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan (45 years old, from Nghe An province) is diligently and meticulously working on a steel structure. He said that if he continues working on Tet this year, it will be the second Tet he hasn't been able to return home. Mr. Tuan mentioned that his eldest daughter is in high school, and his youngest is only in sixth grade.

"This year I stayed to work throughout the Lunar New Year holiday and couldn't go home. My wife and children had to rely on their grandparents. These past few days, after work, I've been calling home, and hearing my children ask when Dad will be home for Tet makes me sad. But I have no choice; work is urgent. My wife encourages me to keep working so I can spend more time with them next year," Mr. Tuan said.

Pressure to meet deadlines and maintain construction quality.

According to Mr. Duong Quang Dien, Deputy Director of the Long Thanh Project Management Board, progress is under immense pressure as the completion date has been shortened to 2025. Although the terminal, runway, and connecting transportation routes are already taking shape, the change in schedule is creating significant pressure.

The Nhon Trach bridge construction site is part of the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3 project.

The consortium of contractors mobilized 10,000 personnel and machinery for construction. It is expected that approximately 70% of the workforce will still be employed throughout the Tet holiday in 2025. "The Project Management Board will coordinate with the contractor to care for, encourage, and ensure the rights of workers and engineers working throughout Tet. At the same time, attention will be paid to labor safety and the quality of the project," Mr. Dien said.

According to Mr. Nguyen Linh, Deputy Director of the Dong Nai Provincial Project Management Board for Transportation Construction Projects, it is expected that during the Tet holiday, some units will continue construction throughout the holiday period for component project 1 of the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway.

"Currently, progress is improving, and difficulties are gradually being resolved, mainly due to land acquisition issues at the beginning of the expressway. We hope to soon have enough land to accelerate the simultaneous construction of all components," Mr. Linh shared.

According to the My Thuan Project Management Board, the 1A component project of the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3 has reached over 83% completion, and is expected to open to traffic in April 2025, with the entire project completed in June 2025, 4 months ahead of schedule.

"Because the project needs to be accelerated to meet the deadline on April 30th, the team will continue working throughout the Tet holiday. The Project Management Board and the contractor will encourage the engineers and workers to ensure they remain committed to the construction site. There will also be reunion meals, cakes, fruits, and flowers...", a representative from the Project Management Board said.

Ready to work throughout the Lunar New Year holiday.

At the component projects of the North-South Expressway, many contractors had planned to continue construction throughout the Tet holiday well in advance.

With the Chi Thanh - Van Phong project passing through Phu Yen province, contractors are scrambling to catch up on the construction progress that has been stalled due to continuous rain for more than a month.

In this project, Bac Trung Nam Infrastructure Construction Joint Stock Company is constructing over 8.6km under package XL-02. According to Mr. Le Minh Phuong, a representative of the company, the progress of embankment construction on the new section has only reached over 45% due to insufficient earth excavation capacity. Currently, the company is implementing a 3-shift, 4-team construction schedule, continuing through the Tet holiday, to compensate for the shortfall.

Similarly, at the Hoai Nhon - Quy Nhon project in Binh Dinh province, contractors are also concentrating machinery and manpower to increase production starting from the beginning of 2025.

Despite being ahead of schedule, the contractor, Son Hai Group, is still mobilizing hundreds of workers on the construction site, and the company has already laid the second layer of asphalt on the road surface.

Nguyen Van Thanh, a paver operator from Quang Binh province, was assigned to the Hoai Nhon - Quy Nhon expressway project after working on numerous projects in Nha Trang and Vung Tau. He said that, like many previous holidays, his work remains the same – he's still working on the construction site.

"I'm from Quang Binh province, and even on normal days, I only get to go home once every two or three months. I visit my family briefly and then leave again. During holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year), people get to go home, gather with their parents, and rest, and our families also look forward to our return. But at the highway construction site, the schedule is incredibly tight. If the company asks us to work through Tet, we're always ready," Thanh shared.

Son Hai Group is constructing 22km of the Hoai Nhon - Quy Nhon expressway. Besides focusing on construction quality, the company also takes meticulous care of its workers' well-being.

At the Hoai Nhon - Quy Nhon project, according to Project Management Board 85, package 12XL is currently ahead of schedule, while package 11XL is behind schedule due to the lengthy time required for converting forest land use in Hoai An and Phu My districts.

After the conversion was completed, continuous rain in the area caused delays in construction. Therefore, the contractor, Truong Son Construction Corporation, has registered to work through the Tet holiday to make up for lost time. The company is currently submitting its Tet holiday construction plan for the investor's consideration.

Many highway projects are ahead of schedule.

According to a representative from the Department of Construction Investment Management (Ministry of Transport), as of the end of December 2024, the construction output of the 10 component projects of the North-South Expressway (Eastern section) in the 2021-2025 period reached approximately 64% of the contract value. Many component projects with large implementation values ​​have exceeded the schedule and registered to shorten the completion time by 3-6 months, such as: Bai Vot - Ham Nghi, Ham Nghi - Vung Ang, Bung - Van Ninh, Van Ninh - Cam Lo, Van Phong - Nha Trang…

The two component projects of the Can Tho - Ca Mau section have achieved a construction output of over 52% of the contract value.

Following the Prime Minister's directive at the 15th meeting of the State Steering Committee for National Key Projects in the Transport Sector, the Ministry of Transport has issued a document requesting project management boards to proactively coordinate and direct construction contractors to cooperate with localities to resolve difficulties and obstacles related to land clearance, relocation of technical infrastructure, and supply of construction materials; focusing with high determination, great effort, and decisive construction with the spirit of "overcoming the sun and rain," "only discussing work, not retreating," "3 shifts, 4 teams," "eating quickly, sleeping urgently," "through holidays, Tet, and days off," "finishing each task," and "commitments must be fulfilled, promises must be made" to accelerate the progress of project implementation.

It should be noted that complacency and negligence in leadership and management must be avoided, as this could affect quality and progress, especially for projects scheduled for completion in 2025 within the 3,000km expressway list.

Project management boards are also required to urge consulting firms and contractors to review and evaluate items that are crucial to the project's progress, reorganize construction on the site, and carry out construction smoothly and scientifically, simultaneously in multiple locations according to the "rolling" principle.

At the same time, urge consultants and contractors to plan the allocation of manpower scientifically and rationally to continue construction throughout the Lunar New Year holiday; and regularly pay attention to and care for the lives of workers and laborers on the construction site.

Nam Khanh

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/cong-truong-giao-thong-thi-cong-xuyen-tet-192250114094006854.htm