Difficulty in clearing the road

Making every effort to restore National Highway 40B. Photo: CONG TU

Proactively overcome

Due to the impact of storm No. 12 and heavy rains from October 21 to now, many national highways and provincial roads in Da Nang city have been severely damaged in terms of structure, with landslides and floods causing traffic jams. Director of the Department of Construction Nguyen Ha Nam said that the routes QL40B, QL24C, QL14D, QL14E, QL14G, QL14B, QL14H or the routes DT601, DT615, DT606 under the management of the department were damaged by floods causing landslides, cracks, and road breaks. The access roads to the bridges had problems, and even had to be calculated to build new ones such as Ong Hoi bridge, km41+656 route DT615 (Viet An commune).

Taking the initiative, management and maintenance units immediately deployed work to respond to and overcome the consequences of natural disasters and handle traffic jams.

However, the heavy rains are very complicated, many locations are not yet open to traffic; landslides keep recurring and new ones appear. By the morning of November 4, many flooded areas have not been checked, the damage will continue to increase.

The patrol of Dong Phong Consulting and Construction Joint Stock Company has a preliminary grasp of the landslide at km21+250, DT606 route through Tay Giang commune. Photo: DEPARTMENT OF CONSTRUCTION

In Da Nang, the routes managed by Road Management Area III are the West branch of Ho Chi Minh Road, which is still congested at 6 locations; the East Truong Son Road has not yet passed through 10 landslide points; the La Son - Hoa Lien Expressway still has 2 problem points, and is expected to open to traffic on the afternoon of November 7.

According to Mr. Tran Ngoc Thanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Construction, overcoming damage, protecting works and traffic infrastructure according to the "4 on-site" principle was flexibly deployed during the recent floods. Management units mobilized maximum human resources, vehicles and materials to promptly overcome and repair landslides and damaged areas in order to restore the "bloodline" as soon as possible to serve rescue and relief.

Directing the repair work at the construction site, Mr. Nguyen Van Sy, Deputy General Director of Quang Nam Transport Construction Joint Stock Company, shared that before storm No. 12 hit, the Department of Construction and the unit had inspected and reviewed the weak points that were prone to landslides, and reviewed the assembly points for machinery and equipment once again. In the face of the sudden and unusual heavy rains, the "4 on-site" motto was fully utilized. Localities where the route passed through actively coordinated to respond, support handling and overcome the consequences of natural disasters.

Efforts to overcome difficulties

The work of repairing and ensuring traffic due to floods encountered many obstacles. For example, at some points, just after clearing one lane, the task force moved to another location, but the place that had just been repaired collapsed again. Workers and patrols had to "split" themselves to block off and keep watch to prevent people and vehicles from passing through the area where the incident was happening, causing safety problems.

A worker stands on an excavator to watch for landslides. Photo: CONG TU

Mr. Nguyen Van Quang, Deputy Director of Dong Phong Consulting and Construction Joint Stock Company, said that the company is assigned to manage and regularly maintain routes DT606, DT608, DT609, DT609C, DT610B and QL14G. Over the past few days, the company has focused on overcoming the unfavorable weather conditions due to prolonged heavy rains that limited visibility, slippery roads, and waterlogged soil and rocks, making it difficult to construct and move machinery.

While on duty, workers face a high risk of safety loss due to possible landslides, especially at weak positive slopes and eroded negative slopes, and unstable roadbeds. Mechanical equipment is easily bogged down, and mud, soil, and wet rocks are difficult to shovel; operations and communication between groups are hindered by heavy rain, which often results in loss of phone signal.

According to Mr. Quang, the pressure is to focus on overcoming landslides, while maintaining temporary routes and ensuring safety for road users. Working in the rain, wind, and prolonged humidity makes workers tired, reduces their working capacity and easily loses concentration while working. Standing at landslide sites, they cannot return to their temporary accommodation for a whole week to take care of their personal hygiene.

In charge of patrolling the section 54+580 to km85+850 of Highway 40B, Mr. Nguyen Hong Anh (Quang Nam Road Management and Construction Joint Stock Company) said that many times while clearing the road for people, rocks and soil would slide right above their heads, which was very dangerous. To prevent landslides from suddenly occurring, the unit assigned people to keep watch, and when they saw an unusual phenomenon, they would call for drivers to withdraw from the clearing location. "At noon or in the evening, we quickly ate a meal and then continued working. Seeing our people waiting, I was very impatient, so I couldn't rest," Mr. Anh said.

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh, General Director of Quang Nam Transport Construction Joint Stock Company, said that the funding source for overcoming damage and ensuring traffic due to natural disasters is unknown, but with its responsibility, the company has advanced resources to clear the "blood vessels" of the economy and serve rescue and relief. The unit regularly encourages that despite difficulties and hardships, we must continue to make efforts to clear the route as soon as possible.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/gian-nan-thong-duong-3309203.html