Urgent construction of a new Phong Chau bridge.

The Director of the Construction Investment Management Department ( Ministry of Transport ) has just issued a decision: An order for the emergency construction of the new Phong Chau bridge project on National Highway 32C, crossing the two districts of Tam Nong and Lam Thao (Phu Tho province).

The decision clearly states that the order for emergency construction was issued to promptly address the collapse of the old Phong Chau bridge, quickly resolve traffic disruptions, and mitigate the consequences of storms and floods.

Image of Phong Chau bridge after it collapsed. Photo: AT

The construction of a transportation network aims to quickly connect the area, facilitating travel for people between the two banks of the river, linking Tam Nong district with Lam Thao district in Phu Tho province, and neighboring localities. This will support socio -economic development and ensure security and national defense in the region.

The Thang Long Project Management Board has been assigned as the unit responsible for managing and implementing the construction of the new Phong Chau bridge.

Construction is scheduled from Q4 2024 to Q4 2025, with an estimated cost of approximately 800 billion VND, funded from the central government's contingency budget for 2024.

The Ministry of Transport requested the Thang Long Project Management Board to select qualified and capable construction units to implement the project in accordance with current regulations, and to develop a detailed project implementation plan under the emergency order with a completion deadline in 2025 as directed by the Prime Minister .

Earlier, at around 10:00 AM on September 9th, the Phong Chau bridge connecting Lam Thao and Tam Nong districts collapsed, causing two spans to fall into the Red River. The incident resulted in 10 vehicles (1 truck, 2 tractor-trailers, 6 motorbikes, and 1 electric motorbike) falling into the river, and 8 people missing.