Ho Chi Minh Trail

As long as there's a road, there will be the Duc Long BOT project.

In early August 2024, following a prolonged period of heavy rain, serious land subsidence occurred in many locations along the Ho Chi Minh Highway, specifically on the Ong Bo slope section, passing through Quang Tin commune, Dak R'lap district, Dak Nong province.

Specifically, from September 8th to 16th, the Duc Long BOT project recorded three subsidence points along the Ho Chi Minh Highway. The subsidence occurred over a distance of approximately 1km, affecting 10 households and the land of 6 other households. The subsidence occurred on the negative slope side of the Ho Chi Minh Highway.

The landslide area along the Ho Chi Minh Highway, passing through Quang Tin commune, Dak R'lap district ( Dak Nong province), has complex geological conditions and is experiencing illegal land leveling. (Photo: LP)

Upon inspection and assessment of the severity of the problem, BOT Duc Long reported the issue to the local authorities and the Department of Transport of Dak Nong province, while simultaneously implementing immediate measures to rectify the situation, mitigate risks, and ensure the safety of the road.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Trac, Director of Duc Long BOT, affirmed: “The Ho Chi Minh Highway is a vital transportation route connecting Dak Nong with the southeastern region. Ensuring safety and continuous traffic flow is not only the responsibility of the local authorities and relevant agencies but also the main task of the company. Our view is that without the road, there is no BOT. As long as the road exists, Duc Long BOT will exist. Therefore, ensuring safety for this section of the road in particular and the entire Ho Chi Minh Highway in general is our top priority.”

Immediately after discovering the subsidence points, Duc Long BOT proactively deployed vehicles and personnel to excavate and remove the load of the earth fill at Km 1936+100 on the left side of the route and Km 1936+300 on the right side. The purpose of excavating and removing the load was to separate the earth fill from the Ho Chi Minh Highway to avoid affecting the road and prevent further subsidence of the embankment, foundation, and other parts of the road.

Duc Long BOT project deploys excavators to clear and reduce the amount of soil at the subsidence site in Quang Tin commune, Dak R'lap district (Dak Nong). Photo: LP

In addition, the company installed four speed limit signs restricting the maximum speed to 40 km/h for trucks with a carrying capacity exceeding 3.5 tons and passenger vehicles with more than 29 seats on the section where the embankment subsidence occurred. As of September 25, 2024, the two subsidence locations at Km 1936+100 on the left and Km 1936+300 on the right of the road were temporarily safe and posed no risk to the infrastructure of the Ho Chi Minh Highway.

Deputy Director of Duc Long BOT, Nguyen Van Quy, further informed that the subsidence points are earthworks located outside the traffic safety corridor. However, these earthworks pose a risk to the safety of the Ho Chi Minh Highway. This earthworks is an illegal act, which has been detected and documented by local authorities and relevant agencies, but has not yet been rectified.

Currently, Duc Long BOT is operating and exploiting 70 km of the Ho Chi Minh Highway (formerly National Highway 14); it has two toll stations located in Nam N'Jang commune (Dak Song district) and Dak Ru commune (Dak R'lấp district).

According to the Deputy Director of the Dak Nong Department of Transport, Ha Sy Son, the area where the subsidence occurred had been the site of land leveling a few years ago. This land leveling within the road safety corridor was done without a permit. In 2020 and 2021, the Dak Nong Department of Transport's Inspectorate discovered and recorded administrative violations in several cases of land leveling in this area (including the owner of Trung Dung 1 Gas Station). These violation reports were forwarded to the local authorities for administrative penalties. However, the restoration of the land to its original condition was not carried out afterward.

Continuing to address the subsidence in Gia Nghia.

In August 2023, cracks and subsidence appeared at Km1900+350 and Km1900+650 on the Ho Chi Minh Highway, managed by Duc Long BOT, and the situation worsened over time. This has caused traffic to be temporarily suspended on 2 out of 4 lanes of the Ho Chi Minh Highway, the section passing through Nghia Thanh ward, Gia Nghia city (Dak Nong province) for over a year.

Landslide area on Ho Chi Minh Highway, section passing through Nghia Thanh ward, Gia Nghia city (Dak Nong). Photo: LP

Duc Long BOT has actively and proactively coordinated with the Department of Transport, local authorities, and relevant units to determine the cause and find solutions. With the approval of the Dak Nong Provincial People's Committee and the Ministry of Transport, through a bidding process, the Institute of Transport Science and Technology (under the Ministry of Transport) won the bid for the package to investigate the cause of the subsidence at Km1900+350 and Km1900+650 on the Ho Chi Minh Highway. The contract is worth 1.5 billion VND, which is funded by Duc Long BOT.

Subsidence has caused traffic to be temporarily suspended on 2 out of 4 lanes of the Ho Chi Minh Highway, the section passing through Nghia Thanh ward, Gia Nghia city (Dak Nong province) for more than a year. Photo: LP

After a period of implementation, the Incident Investigation Team, chaired by the Provincial Department of Transport, determined that the subsidence and landslide were not related to the investment, construction, operation, or maintenance of the road section. The incident was related to the earthworks within the scope of the infrastructure project for the residential area in Nghia Thanh ward, undertaken by Dak Lak Road Construction Joint Stock Company. This was the only subjective cause among the group of causes leading to the incident. The remaining causes were due to weather, rainfall, topography, geology, and hydrology.

According to the assessment report, there are two options to address the subsidence and landslides on the Ho Chi Minh Highway. The first option is to restore the road to its original state; the second option is to reposition the road to the left (in the direction of traffic from Dak Nong to Dak Lak). The estimated cost is nearly 200 billion VND and the construction time is 9-11 months.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Trac stated that, following the approval of the Dak Nong Provincial People's Committee, the company will organize a public tender to select a consulting unit to conduct surveys and prepare a feasibility study report to choose the best solution for addressing the subsidence issue in Gia Nghia. The company's stance is to make every effort, actively and proactively coordinate with all levels of government and relevant agencies in addressing the subsidence issue and ensuring safety on the Ho Chi Minh Highway. The remediation costs are substantial, and if Duc Long BOT is assigned to carry out the work, all parties must have a suitable financial plan in accordance with the law.

“In the coming years, besides the unit's efforts, we also hope that people will strictly comply with regulations on protecting the road corridor. Local authorities at all levels and relevant agencies need to strengthen propaganda and mobilization efforts; and at the same time, resolutely handle cases of violations of traffic safety corridors. This will ensure that the road is well managed and operated; more importantly, it will ensure the safety of people and vehicles participating in traffic,” said Nguyen Dinh Trac, Director of Duc Long BOT.

Source: https://baodaknong.vn/bot-duc-long-no-luc-bao-dam-an-toan-duong-ho-chi-minh-231468.html