An Khe Pass is constantly congested.
For several days now, traffic on National Highway 19 has been congested through the An Khe pass, causing frustration for drivers, passengers, and local residents, and posing a traffic safety risk.
At approximately 11 PM on January 26th, a container truck carrying wood chips, traveling from Gia Lai to Binh Dinh, overturned at Km 66+800 on National Highway 19, on the An Khe pass. A large quantity of wood chips spilled onto the road, and the overturned truck occupied about half of the road surface, causing significant traffic congestion. Hundreds of vehicles of all types were stuck in a long traffic jam on the An Khe pass, stretching from Dong Pho town (Tay Son district, Binh Dinh province) to An Khe town (Gia Lai province).
At approximately 3:00 AM on January 25th, a tractor-trailer traveling through An Khe Pass got stuck in the mud, rendering it immobile and causing a complete traffic jam. The situation was only resolved at 3:45 PM the same day.
It is raining in the area, and the temporary road, built with earthen embankments, is muddy and very dangerous. For two consecutive days, two vehicles have been involved in accidents on the An Khê pass, severely disrupting traffic. Although authorities from Gia Lai and Bình Định provinces arrived promptly to regulate traffic, they were unable to resolve the congestion in time.
A truck carrying wood chips overturned due to muddy roads on the An Khe pass.
Nguyen Quang Huy, a truck driver on the Binh Dinh - Gia Lai route, expressed his frustration: "My truck runs daily on National Highway 19. It should arrive in Pleiku City (Gia Lai) around 7 a.m. But for the past two days, traffic jams have caused delays. Yesterday, we didn't arrive in Pleiku until after 10 a.m. Today, it was almost 1 p.m. Goods are delayed, especially perishable items, which spoil and get damaged. Passengers are late and miss their appointments. The road construction is already in poor condition, seriously affecting vehicles, and now it's causing further delays. Who will compensate us for these losses? In the end, the trucking companies bear the brunt of it!"
Nguyen Thi Thu, a passenger, said: "I came from Binh Dinh to Gia Lai to attend my nephew's wedding. Due to traffic jams, I had to wait from 6 am until noon, and by the time I arrived in Pleiku City it was almost 1 pm, after the wedding reception had ended. Now I have to take a bus back, and I don't know when I'll be able to get home."
Hundreds of vehicles were stuck in traffic for hours on An Khe Pass.
Speaking to a reporter from Thanh Nien newspaper on the afternoon of January 27th, Major Le Van Sang, Head of Road Traffic Police Team No. 3, Gia Lai Provincial Police Department, said: "Over the past two days, we have deployed forces to regulate and reroute traffic. Vehicles traveling through An Khe Pass face potential traffic safety risks due to the easily collapsing dirt road and the rain. With Tet approaching, traffic density increases, making congestion unavoidable. We have requested that the construction unit implement appropriate solutions to minimize traffic congestion and ensure vehicle safety when traveling through An Khe Pass, and to expedite the construction progress…".
Numerous violations and risks exist on National Highway 19.
The progress of the project to enhance transportation connectivity in the Central Highlands region on National Highway 19 through Binh Dinh and Gia Lai provinces has been slow, affecting the socio-economic development of both provinces. This situation has been acknowledged by the Ministry of Transport and direct directives have been issued, but the situation has not improved as desired. Consequently, the deadline has been extended to 2024. However, the rainy season has begun in the Central Highlands since May. If the construction units do not accelerate progress, the project will be difficult to complete, and residents living along this highway, as well as road users, will continue to suffer and feel frustrated.
According to a report from the Road Management Office III.4 (under Road Management Area III, Vietnam Road Administration) and the results of a field inspection on January 25th by a working group including representatives from the Gia Lai Traffic Safety Committee, the Traffic Police Department of Binh Dinh province, and Road Management Area III, the rectification of existing problems has not been thorough, is still slow, and is not regular, thus greatly affecting traffic safety.
Specifically, the access roads at both ends of the bridges, and the temporary bridges at the construction sites of Bau Sen Bridge, Ba La Bridge, Luc Kuc Bridge, Ha Tam Bridge, Linh Nham Bridge, Vang Bridge, and Le Can Bridge, have rough surfaces, frequently develop potholes, and are not repaired promptly. The road safety system for fallen vehicles has not been regularly restored.
The road surface is not repaired in a timely manner and is not smooth, causing difficulties for vehicles using the sections of the An Khe pass...
Authorities have deployed equipment to shovel wood chips to alleviate traffic congestion on An Khe Pass.
The traffic safety system serving the construction site is not up to standard, lacking signs, markers, and reflective tape in many locations. In particular, the construction sites from Km 60 to Km 67 through An Khe pass lack a proper traffic safety system, allowing soil and rocks to fall onto the road surface, posing a risk to traffic safety.
The construction unit was slow in handling the traffic congestion at An Khe Pass (the congestion occurred from the morning of January 25th), and traffic guidance and safety systems were not adequately ensured...
Traffic congestion occurred on the An Khê pass section on January 26th.
To ensure traffic safety on National Highway 19 and serve the public during the 2024 Lunar New Year, Road Management Area III requests Project Management Board 2 (the investor of the project to enhance traffic connectivity in the Central Highlands on National Highway 19) to strengthen the direction of construction units to promptly implement measures to ensure traffic safety; and to detect and address any shortcomings that may arise in the coming period.
Project Management Board 2 must assign leaders and arrange personnel and equipment to be on-site during the 2024 Lunar New Year holiday to regularly inspect the traffic safety system or promptly handle any safety incidents that may arise.
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