Traffic jam on Highway 40B
In recent days, at km82+500 on National Highway 40B (in Tra Tan commune), the road has been continuously cut off due to landslides. Hundreds of cubic meters of rock and soil from the hill have been swept down by heavy rain, washing away the roadbed and main drainage culvert. The maintenance unit has continuously leveled and built temporary culverts, but the road can only be used for a short time before being damaged again due to recurring landslides. Vehicles are almost unable to pass this landslide point.
Teacher Le Huy Phuong, Principal of Tra Leng 1 Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities (Tra Leng Commune), said that out of concern for his school and students, he had to rent a motorboat and travel from Tra Doc, cross the floodwaters on the Tranh River, and bypass the landslide site to reach Tra Leng Commune. He knew it was dangerous, but there was no other way, because National Highway 40B - a vital traffic route - had been blocked for more than a day.
This bottleneck also causes many difficulties in transferring serious cases from Nam Tra My Regional Medical Center to the first-line hospital. Mr. Tran Van Thu, Director of Nam Tra My Regional Medical Center, said that recently, to transfer 3 patients, the unit coordinated with Bac Tra My Regional Medical Center to prepare an ambulance to respond on the other side of the landslide. When the ambulance of Nam Tra My Regional Medical Center approached the landslide area, Tra Leng commune militia had to use a hammock to carry the patient across the sliding rock and soil in the heavy rain. The patient was then received by Bac Tra My Regional Medical Center to be transferred to a higher-level hospital.
Currently, there are dozens of serious landslides on the negative and positive slopes along National Highway 40B, including traffic jams at km82+500 (Tra Tan commune) and km119+280 (Nam Tra My commune). In addition, many locations have rocks and soil spilling onto the road surface, making traffic dangerous. The total estimated damage to date is up to 76.6 billion VND.
Mr. Le Minh Chien, Chairman of Tra Tan Commune People's Committee, said that the locality has coordinated with the maintenance unit to put up ropes and install warning signs at landslide locations. Particularly at km82+500, when landslides cut off the road, there will be staff on duty, not allowing vehicles to pass to ensure safety. The unit also urged to fix the problem so that when the weather is favorable, the road can be reopened to traffic step by step.
Big challenge
Not only National Highway 40B, the entire mountainous traffic network is suffering heavy damage after the floods. According to the Infrastructure Maintenance Board (under the Department of Construction of Da Nang City), in recent days, routes 14D, 14E, 40B, DT606, DT615B... have been continuously blocked due to landslides; routes 14B, 24C, 14G have had difficulty traveling due to damaged road surfaces and many potholes. The damage to the city's traffic infrastructure so far is estimated at about 240 billion VND, of which the floods caused by storms No. 12 and No. 13 are about 230 billion VND. The majority of the damage is on routes to the highlands such as National Highway 40B, National Highway 24C, DT606.
During the complicated period of floods and landslides, the Department of Construction prioritizes ensuring traffic in the first step, handling key landslide points, reviewing bridge and road foundations, serving the needs of travel and transporting necessities, especially on key routes to highland communes. At the same time, the unit continues to count the damage and prepare technical documents for long-term restoration projects.
In addition to national and provincial highways, many university and inter-village routes in mountainous areas also suffered major damage, including newly invested routes that play a role in promoting inter-regional transport, developing production and reducing poverty. Mr. Chau Minh Nghia, Chairman of the People's Committee of Tra Leng Commune, said that the damage to traffic infrastructure in the area was estimated at more than 45 billion VND. In particular, the three starting points of the routes to the village centers were still seriously eroded, isolating nearly 500 households.
“The roads to villages 1, 3, 6, and 7 are all cut off due to these three landslides. The locality has developed an emergency repair plan with an estimated cost of more than 6.7 billion VND. We recommend that the People's Committee of Da Nang City soon allocate funds to facilitate people's travel,” said Mr. Nghia.
Mr. Le Trung Thuc, Chairman of Tra Tap Commune People's Committee, said that 12 traffic routes in the commune are seriously damaged and eroded, with a total loss of more than 26 billion VND. Of which, route DH3 to villages 1, 2, 3 is less than 18km long but has more than 40 landslides. Notably, there are 7 locations where the road surface is completely broken, affecting the travel of more than 2,700 people. In recent days, the locality has opened a temporary road next to the damaged route, but when heavy rain occurs, traffic is almost blocked.
“It is estimated that the landslides are up to 2.9km, the ditches are 3.5km long, and the slopes are 20,000m³ eroded... This is a vital traffic route, not only ensuring travel but also promoting local economic , social and tourism development. Therefore, in addition to paying attention and supporting funding for repairs, the city needs to support the locality with more investment solutions, developing sustainable traffic, limiting landslide risks, and promoting mountainous development,” Mr. Thuc suggested.
Source: https://baodanang.vn/gian-nan-duong-ve-phia-nui-3311011.html
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