The road once known as "the most beautiful in Vietnam" after a decade of upgrading

(Dan Tri) - Once known as the "most beautiful road in Vietnam", National Highway 8A in Ha Tinh has deteriorated due to heavy truck traffic and frequent natural disasters. After 10 years of renovation, this route has changed.

The investment project to build and upgrade National Highway 8A, invested by Project Management Board 4 (Vietnam Road Administration), is entering the final stage. The upgraded section extends from Pho Chau town to Cau Treo International Border Gate, Huong Son district, Ha Tinh province.

According to Project Management Board 4, 5/12 packages of the project have been completed and handed over for use in the 2017-2022 period. Four other construction packages have been completed and are undergoing acceptance procedures for handover for use.

The remaining three construction packages are basically completed and are expected to be completed this year. In the picture, the km74+600 bridge of the XL10 package is the last item that the construction unit is implementing to complete.

To ensure the progress of the final packages, construction units mobilized machinery and human resources to work in 3 shifts per day.

In recent years, the construction of National Highway 8A has encountered difficulties due to the construction conditions on rugged terrain, many deep ravines, foggy weather, frequent landslides and large traffic volume.

In the picture, the Eo Co Gai bridge project (near Cau Treo border gate), the section through Son Kim 1 commune, Huong Son district. This is a location where landslides often occur. The road previously became a nightmare for drivers and people traveling during the rainy and stormy season. In the project to upgrade National Highway 8A, the authorities have researched and decided to build a new Eo Co Gai bridge, spanning a deep abyss to prevent landslides. The project has a total investment of more than 20 billion VND, designed to be 150m long, 8m wide, and built about 40m away from the location where landslides often occur.

To date, the new Eo Co Gai bridge project has been completed and put into use. The project has become an important highlight on the only national highway to Laos and vice versa.

Mr. Kieu Vien Phuong, Director of the Project Management Board for the construction investment and upgrading of National Highway 8A, said that the use of Eo Co Gai Bridge has helped ensure people and vehicles are safer since this year's rainy and stormy season when they do not have to go through a location that is often prone to landslides.

National Highway 8A is over 85km long, connecting from National Highway 1A at Bai Vot intersection (Hong Linh town), passing through Duc Tho and Huong Son districts to Cau Treo International Border Gate and into Laos. In 1999, the road was approved for upgrading and expansion. At that time, the Ministry of Transport voted this as one of the most beautiful roads in Vietnam. However, after 10 years of operation, with high traffic density of heavy trucks and the impact of natural disasters and floods, National Highway 8A has deteriorated.

To remedy this, in October 2010, the Ministry of Transport approved the investment project to build and upgrade National Highway 8A. The project started in 2014 with 12 construction packages, with a total investment of more than 1,660 billion VND.

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/cung-duong-tung-duoc-menh-danh-dep-nhat-viet-nam-sau-mot-thap-ky-nang-cap-20240915180133580.htm