Da Nang: 18 bridges left unfinished due to lack of access roads.

A series of bridges, worth hundreds of billions of dong, have had their main structures completed but remain unfinished due to a lack of access roads.

The story of the 18 "deformed" bridges not only causes traffic congestion but also serves as a wake-up call about loopholes in management, coordination, and land clearance.

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 behind barren concrete structures 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 being tied up in concrete structures that have yet to realize their full potential.

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."

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. The Tay An 1 and Tay An 2 bridges, spanning the Cau Chim River and connecting Nam Phuoc and Duy Xuyen communes, 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 were completed long ago, both bridges are still not operational because the access roads have not been deployed simultaneously.

The main structure of the Xi'an 1 and Xi'an 2 bridges has been completed, but they are not yet open to traffic due to a lack of connecting access roads, affecting the movement of people in the area. (Photo: Anh Dung/TTXVN)

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 people to take detours or use temporary routes, posing a potential traffic safety risk.

Seeing the multi-billion dollar project lying idle for so many years without being completed, the people can't help but feel regretful about the wasted state budget.

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), although technically opened to traffic nearly a year ago, will still not allow people to travel normally until mid-2026 because they have to wait for more than 4.5km of access roads to be completed.

The Tam Tien Bridge and access road project in Tam Xuan commune (Da Nang) is a key transportation project spanning over 4km with a total investment of approximately 220 billion VND. Started in late 2020, the project is currently stalled and unfinished.

In areas without proper roads, local residents have to improvise 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.

Hundreds of billions of dong from the state budget and taxpayers' money are being "tied up" in concrete structures that have yet to realize their value. (Photo: Anh Dung/TTXVN)

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 constructed but whose approach roads have not yet been completed.

Land acquisition and construction material issues are the main reasons most frequently cited by investors. Compensation and resettlement for people affected by road projects 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.

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 (which is concentrated in a narrow strip of space on the river) is much easier than construction of the approach roads (which stretch across land and affect the land rights of many households).

The lack of decisive action in resolving land clearance issues before construction began, coupled with the mindset of "doing the easy parts first, leaving the difficult parts for later," has led to this serious misalignment.

"Ultimate" and personalizing responsibility

Faced with public outrage and the urgent need to disburse public investment funds, the Da Nang City People's Committee has taken decisive action to definitively resolve this "quagmire".

The Chairman of the People's Committee of Da Nang City issued Official Document No. 1966/UBND-ĐTĐT dated March 23, 2026, outlining "mandatory" solutions for all investors, departments, and relevant localities.

Although the main bridge structures of Xi'an Bridge 1 and Xi'an Bridge 2 are basically complete, they cannot yet be put into operation due to land clearance issues and a lack of land for access roads. (Photo: Anh Dung/TTXVN)

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 delay construction 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 any "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.

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 People's Committee of the city, Tran Nam Hung, requested the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of Tam Xuan commune to focus on leadership, and instructed the Chairman of the People's Committee of Tam Xuan commune 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 date), in order to promptly hand over the land for the project's construction to ensure progress.

Looking out over the river from the old, dilapidated bridge, one can only see some of the new bridge's piers and abutments, with the bridge span remaining suspended in the middle of the river. (Photo: Anh Dung/TTXVN)

In case of delays in handing over the land, the Party Secretary and the Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune shall be held accountable to the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee and the leaders of the City People's Committee.

Regarding the Tay An 1 and Tay An 2 bridge projects, the Da Nang City People's Committee requires the complete resolution of outstanding issues and obstacles, ensuring 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.

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 monitoring 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 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.

(VNA/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/da-nang-18-cay-cau-dap-chieu-vi-thieu-duong-dan-post1111802.vnp