Removing material bottlenecks for the Tham Luong – Ben Cat – Rach Nuoc Len canal renovation project

(HTV) - The Tham Luong - Ben Cat - Rach Nuoc Len canal renovation project is entering the acceleration phase to reach the finish line on schedule.

Right at the XL1 package, from Rach Nuoc Len to Duong C bridge, the construction site atmosphere is always bustling with dozens of construction machines and equipment operating day and night. The construction unit has organized 12 teams at the same time, working overtime continuously to keep up with the progress, this is the bottleneck. However, the workload has not yet reached the expected level.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Duy - Commander of the XL1 package, frankly shared that every 500 to 700m, a new problem is encountered: either the site or the technical infrastructure. The "leopard skin" construction style has significantly reduced productivity. Not to mention, the biggest difficulty at present is the shortage of materials. "Now, if we want to speed up the progress of the structure and roadbed, we are stuck with rocks. It is also not easy to bring materials to the construction site, many roads are banned from loading and during certain hours, directly affecting the progress," said Mr. Duy.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Duy - Commander of XL package

The XL3 package is also facing a delay of about 10-12% compared to the plan. Mr. Vu Van Thanh - Commander of this package said: "The biggest difficulty is still the source of sand and stone. Domestic sand is extremely rare, forced to be imported from Cambodia, and the price is very high. Stone is scarce due to many projects nationwide being implemented at the same time, leading to supply not meeting demand. Currently, the price of sand has increased by about 100,000 VND per cubic meter compared to the time of bidding, causing costs to increase significantly."

According to calculations, the entire project requires about 1.4 million cubic meters of sand and 755,000 cubic meters of stone. However, to date, only about 250,000 cubic meters of sand and 120,000 cubic meters of stone have been supplied. The gap between demand and reality is huge, causing the progress of the bidding packages to be severely affected.

Faced with the pressure of progress, contractors cannot just “sit and wait” but are forced to find ways to overcome the problem. Mr. Nguyen Quang Duy said that the unit has requested permission to set up a temporary wharf to transfer materials by waterway, and is preparing more barges to bring the stones back as quickly as possible. At the same time, the unit is also coordinating with the investor to request a mechanism to allow transportation during certain peak hours during the day, avoiding the situation of being limited by road bans.

Meanwhile, Mr. Vu Van Thanh said that the XL3 package is focusing on mobilizing all resources to find suppliers of sand and stone, and arranging for overtime work both day and night. “The rainy season is coming, making the foundation work even more difficult. Therefore, we have to take advantage of every sunny day to construct, shortening the time that has been delayed as much as possible,” Mr. Thanh said.

Construction of upgrading and paving gravel roads along canals in residential areas

At the same time, the supervision consultant team also plays an important role in keeping the project on track. Mr. Nguyen Duc Han - Supervision Consultant for the XL3 package shared: "We make detailed plans for each day and each week, and regularly meet with contractors to resolve difficulties. Regarding the quality of the project, we strictly control it, require contractors to perform according to their commitments, and continuously monitor personnel and machinery to promptly report to the investor if there is a risk of delay."

Renovating Tham Luong – Ben Cat – Rach Nuoc Len canal

Faced with common difficulties, the investor representative, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Anh Dung - Deputy Director of the HCM City Urban Infrastructure Construction Investment Project Management Board, said that the Board has sent documents to localities with sand mines to request support for the project's supply. In addition, the Board also proposed to the Department of Construction to allow the use of some routes to transport materials to temporarily resolve the difficulties.

However, Mr. Dung also emphasized his resolute stance: “If the contractor fails to meet the schedule, the investor will strictly handle it according to the contract. By the end of August, if any package still fails to meet the requirements, we will reallocate the workload to other units in the consortium, or terminate the contract. The point of view is to be resolute in order to protect the overall progress of the project.”

Investor representative - Mr. Nguyen Hoang Anh Dung

According to the plan, on September 2, the project will open to traffic some sections of the 6 packages. By the end of 2025, the entire route is expected to be technically opened to traffic, and by December 31, 2026, the entire project will be completed and officially put into operation.

This is an important milestone, because when completed, the Tham Luong - Ben Cat - Rach Nuoc Len canal renovation project will not only improve the drainage system, reduce flooding in the western area of Ho Chi Minh City, but also contribute to beautifying the urban landscape, creating land for developing traffic infrastructure, and expanding living space for people.

The road to the finish line is still arduous. The problem of lack of sand and stone has not been completely solved in the short term. However, with the determination of the investor, the efforts of the contractors, and the support of the authorities, the project is expected to overcome the challenges, to reach the finish line on time in 2026 as a testament to the determination in the construction and development of a modern urban area in Ho Chi Minh City.

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Source: https://htv.com.vn/go-nut-that-vat-lieu-cho-du-an-cai-tao-kenh-tham-luong-ben-cat-rach-nuoc-len-222250819103357895.htm