"Overcoming difficulties", urgently constructing key traffic projects

Machinery and equipment of Cuong - Thinh - Thi Construction Investment Group Joint Stock Company are gathered at the construction site of the coastal road project section Nga Son - Hoang Hoa, but the construction progress cannot be accelerated due to the scarcity of materials. Photo: HT

Currently, dozens of traffic infrastructure projects and works in Thanh Hoa province are in the urgent construction phase. Typically, the coastal road project section Nga Son - Hoang Hoa started construction in December 2021, expected to be completed in December 2025. With a total length of nearly 24km, the project has a total investment of more than 2,240 billion VND. According to the design, the road section is completely newly invested, more than 23.7km long, meeting the standards of a third-class plain road, with four motor vehicle lanes and a maximum design speed of 80km/h. The entire route has three large bridges including Lach Sung, Nam Khe and Lach Truong. The Thanh Hoa Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board (DTCTGT) is the investor representative for this route. Once completed, the project will connect the entire coastal road from Quang Ninh to Nghe An, creating conditions for Thanh Hoa to soon become a new growth pole along with Hanoi, Hai Phong, and Quang Ninh, becoming the economic quadrangle of the Northern region.

Up to now, for the road section, the contractor, Cuong - Thinh - Thi Construction Investment Group Joint Stock Company (hereinafter referred to as Cuong - Thinh - Thi Corporation), has deployed 3 construction teams. From the first days of construction, the project has encountered many difficulties due to the major impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; problems in site clearance, scarcity of construction materials and high material prices have led to the construction progress of some items of the project being slower than planned.

At the construction site of the coastal road project, Nga Son - Hoang Hoa section, dozens of machines and equipment were mobilized and gathered by Cuong - Thinh - Thi Company but could not speed up the construction progress due to the scarcity of construction materials. Mr. Nguyen Van Kien, Deputy Commander of the construction site of the coastal road project, Nga Son - Hoang Hoa section, said: “The company undertakes the construction of the road surface from Km0 to Km7+645 (package No. 5). Up to now, the unit has completed the construction of more than 4.7km of embankment; more than 1km of sand embankment. Currently, to complete the project, the total material demand is estimated at about 300,000m3. The estimated need for road embankment soil alone is about 180,000m3; various types of sand are needed about 20,000m3; crushed stone and various types of stone are needed about 62,000m3. Meanwhile, the supply of materials in Thanh Hoa province is currently very scarce, not meeting the demand and the selling price is high”.

Faced with that reality, the contractor has proactively sought and made efforts to connect with sources of construction materials from Ninh Binh, Nghe An, and Ha Nam . However, that is only a temporary solution, solving immediate needs. “This is a time when the weather is favorable for construction implementation, speeding up the progress of construction projects. Over the past 2 months, although human resources, machinery, and equipment are always ready to “get to work”, we have had to “be powerless”, and carry out construction in a slow manner. In the past time, the price of construction materials has increased and there have been times when there was a shortage compared to demand, but there has never been a shortage like the time from the beginning of the year until now” – Mr. Kien shared.

The current situation of scarcity of construction materials and high prices not only has a great impact on contractors but also causes investors to face many difficulties and challenges. A representative of the Thanh Hoa Traffic Construction Project Management Board confided: “If we continue to prolong the construction in a half-hearted manner to wait for materials as it is now, it will lead to waste of mobilized and gathered human resources, machinery and equipment; the cost of implementing the project will be "increased" a lot; the progress of the project will not be guaranteed as committed... More importantly, this will greatly affect the results of disbursement of public investment capital, negatively impacting the socio-economic development of the province”.

At the construction site of the North-South Expressway and National Highway 1A connecting Nghi Son Port, contractors are mobilizing machinery, materials, and human resources to speed up construction progress on the handed-over site with a determined spirit, enthusiastic and responsible working spirit. This is a project that started in February 2024, according to the plan to complete construction after 27 months. This is a large and key project in Nghi Son town. The project includes 2 routes, of which route 1 is provincial road 512, the section from National Highway 1 to Tho Xuan - Nghi Son road is 10.3km long, passing through wards and communes of Nghi Son town and Nong Cong district. Route 2 is Nghi Son - Bai Tranh road, the section from Ho bridge to the intersection to the North-South Expressway is 3km long in Nghi Son town.

Mr. Le Dinh Trang, Director of the Management Board of the Nghi Son Economic Zone and Thanh Hoa Industrial Zones Construction Investment Project (hereinafter referred to as the regional board), said: “During the construction process, the regional board has always accompanied and has been focusing on directing contractors to implement specific solutions to overcome difficulties, especially high material prices, speed up construction progress, and is determined to achieve the goal of completing the project by the end of 2025”. The project put into use is very important in connecting inter-regions in the region, forming an external traffic route directly connecting with National Highway 1A and the North-South Expressway. After completion, the project will shorten the travel time between the western districts of the province and Nghi Son Economic Zone, ensuring the transportation of goods and passengers, creating a complete traffic network connecting the North-South Expressway, Nghi Son - Tho Xuan road and regional routes with Tho Xuan Airport and Nghi Son Seaport. At the same time, create convenient traffic for industrial parks along the route, increasing coastal tourism connectivity.

Contractors rush to construct the North-South expressway connecting project, National Highway 1A to Nghi Son Port.

As a result, up to now, 4km of roads have been basically completed; over 2km of asphalt concrete has been paved; cross-drainage culverts have been constructed; and 7 bridges have been constructed on the route. The railway overpass and National Highway 47B alone have completed nearly 55% of the volume... By mid-May 2025, the construction units of the North-South Expressway and National Highway 1A to Nghi Son Port project have completed nearly 50% of the total volume to be constructed. Currently, contractors have been implementing solutions to overcome difficulties due to the scarcity and price increase of some construction materials, speeding up the construction progress, and completing the project ahead of schedule.

Hoang Tuan Company Limited is the unit in charge of constructing 7km of route No. 1, the North-South Expressway connecting project, National Highway 1A to Nghi Son Port. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hung, the officer in charge of construction techniques, shared: “During the construction process, the unit encountered some difficulties. Especially some construction materials were scarce and prices were high... Although the project was implemented in a context of many difficulties and challenges, the company has closely coordinated with the investor and local authorities, and flexibly implemented solutions to overcome them, ensuring the goals to strive for. Up to now, the unit has completed over 55% of the work volume assigned in the contract.”

In order to remove difficulties and obstacles, and to speed up the progress of infrastructure investment projects in general and transport infrastructure in particular, the leaders of the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People's Committee and relevant agencies have paid close attention and directed closely with many visits and meetings. The Department of Construction, the Thanh Hoa Transport Infrastructure Project Management Board, and the regional committees have promoted their spirit and responsibility, closely coordinated with local authorities where the project passes through to promptly complete site clearance. Regarding the current situation of material shortage, the committees have quickly grasped the situation, synthesized proposals and recommendations from contractors and construction units, and reported to all levels and sectors in the province to gradually remove difficulties and obstacles in the spirit of "not leaving contractors alone on the construction site". Contractors are highly focused, well-prepared in terms of human resources, materials, and machinery to be ready to start construction as soon as construction materials are available, trying not to interrupt the construction progress, completing and putting the project into use soon to promote the efficiency of investment capital, promoting the local socio-economy, contributing to the strong development of Thanh Hoa province.

Khoi Khoa

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/go-kho-gap-rut-thi-cong-cac-du-an-giao-thong-trong-diem-248895.htm