Synchronizing many solutions to overcome weak points after floods

Many solutions, from urgent to long-term, are being actively implemented by the Vietnam Road Administration, Project Management Boards, Road Management Areas in coordination with localities, helping to quickly restore the operational capacity of roads, especially expressways.

Photo caption — The Dong-Tay Giang Road Management Department and the Quang Nam -Da Nang Road Management and Construction Joint Stock Company are mobilizing many mechanical machines to level and clear mud and soil to soon restore the vital road to the Vietnam-Laos border area. Illustrative photo: Anh Dung/VNA

In Quang Nam province, National Highway 14E is a vital traffic route connecting mountainous districts with the plains, heavily affected when many sections of the route were seriously eroded, causing traffic paralysis. Particularly, the two major landslides at Km84+500 - Km84+700 pose a big challenge, due to weak geology, large volumes of earth and rock, and dangerous construction conditions due to unusually heavy rain.

In that situation, Project Management Board 4 (under the Vietnam Road Administration) had to deploy emergency response solutions, especially cutting the hill to open a temporary road to help people travel through the isolated area.

Opening a temporary road is a necessary solution in the context of landslides reaching hundreds of thousands of cubic meters, Mr. Le Duc Loc, Director of Project Management Board 4, informed and added: "If we only focus on clearing the landslide without a temporary path, people on both sides of the route will be isolated for weeks, even months. Therefore, the unit decided to cut the hill on the left side of the route to create a temporary road about 3 meters wide, enough for motorbikes and pedestrians to circulate safely."

According to the Director of Project Management Board 4, the implementation of remedial work encountered many difficulties. The terrain in the mountainous area of Quang Nam is rugged, steep, and the prolonged rain causes rocks and soil to continuously slide down, posing a danger to workers and construction equipment. On the other hand, the volume of dumped rocks and soil is so large that finding a dumping site and transporting them out of the landslide area is also a challenge.

Currently, the contractor is urgently handling two major landslides at Km84+500 - Km84+700. High-capacity excavators are continuously working to clear away each block of rock and soil, while a team of engineers is on duty to monitor the scene and control the risk of new landslides.

According to the assessment of Project Management Board 4, it may take several weeks to completely repair these two major landslides, depending on the weather. While waiting for full traffic restoration, the unit will continue to reinforce and expand the temporary road, while organizing security, installing signs and assigning people to guide vehicles to pass safely.

"We consider this a task that is both technical and of profound human significance, because for every route that is cleared, hundreds of households can return to normal life," said a representative of Project Management Board 4.

In Hue city area, in recent days, Road Management Area II has directed Thua Thien Hue Road Management and Construction Joint Stock Company to mobilize forces and vehicles to take advantage of the sunny weather to carry out the work of repairing and patching potholes with hot asphalt concrete on National Highway 1 and the Hue city bypass.

The construction teams are required to work continuously day and night, strictly following technical procedures, ensuring progress and traffic safety throughout the implementation process. The construction unit uses hot asphalt concrete materials, combined with cutting machines, vibrating rollers, and modern asphalt spreaders to improve the quality of patching and repair, prolonging the life of the road surface.

Mr. Tran Quang Thanh, Director of Road Management Area II said: “After the flood, we mobilized forces to be on duty 24/7 to promptly handle damaged areas, ensuring smooth traffic. When the weather turned sunny, construction teams immediately deployed, prioritizing locations with high traffic density and high safety risks.”

The construction work is carried out under the close supervision of technical staff of Road Management Area II and local authorities. Warning posts and construction signs are fully arranged to guide and direct traffic safely, minimizing the impact on people and vehicles passing through the area.

“This is a regular but especially important activity after storms, helping to promptly restore the operating capacity of National Highway 1 and the Hue bypass, the key traffic routes connecting the North - South and the Central - Central Highlands regions,” said a representative of Road Management Area II.

According to the Vietnam Road Administration, from the afternoon of November 8 to the morning of November 9, there was no more heavy rain or storms. However, some places still had light rain and localized rain. Project Management Boards, Road Management Areas, Construction Departments, local authorities and related forces are still focusing on overcoming the consequences of natural disasters caused by floods, landslides and the consequences of recent storms.

The Vietnam Road Administration said that the monitoring and supervision of potential landslide risk points are also maintained closely by the units. Technical forces regularly check and record the phenomenon of cracks and slope slides and promptly direct handling. Road sections damaged by flooding and other natural disasters have now been directed to be repaired and overcome to ensure smooth traffic and ensure the quality of the project.