Clearing the East-West economic crossroads

Experts say that the investment in comprehensively renovating National Highway 14D cannot be delayed any longer. Upgrading and expanding this route will not only solve pressing problems for the people, but also because of the great benefits this route brings.

Trucks carrying ore from Laos through the border gate to Highway 14D. Photo: CONG TU

Carrying heavy vehicles

Established in 2004, National Highway 14D, 74.4 km long, starts at the intersection with Ho Chi Minh Road in Ca Dy Commune and ends at Nam Giang International Border Gate (La Dee Commune, Nam Giang District). This National Highway is part of the East-West Economic Corridor 2, connecting Nam Giang - Dac Ta Ooc International Border Gate between Vietnam and Laos with National Highway 14B to Tien Sa Seaport (Da Nang).

According to the authorities, Highway 14D passes through mountainous areas with low technical standards and steep slopes, causing difficulties for vehicles, especially container trucks. The route has many curves, bends, and limited visibility; if a truck has a technical problem or an accident, it will cause prolonged congestion. It is estimated that about 500 trucks carrying ore pass through the border gate every day. That does not include trucks carrying other goods and international passenger buses.

The current overloaded traffic has caused National Highway 14D to deteriorate very badly. The asphalt surface has almost completely peeled off, and the gravel foundation is uneven. Many sections are damaged to the dirt roadbed, causing dust to pollute the environment and affect people's lives. National Highway 14D is a major "bottleneck" in ensuring traffic safety, promoting socio-economic development, and foreign circulation.

Open the corridor "knot"

Quang Nam Transport Construction Joint Stock Company is assigned to manage and regularly repair Highway 14D. Engineer Nguyen Dai Phuc - Head of Road Maintenance Management Department (Quang Nam Transport Construction Joint Stock Company) said that in order to fix the very seriously damaged section and the key location, in recent years, the competent authorities have allocated billions of VND for periodic repairs. At this time, the entire route has 10km of asphalt concrete and 12km of cement concrete poured on the current cross-section.

Thus, QL14D has 52.4km left that have not been renovated or repaired. Regular repairs, mainly "patching" with graded stone, are ineffective. The sudden increase in heavy truck traffic has also caused many bridges to show signs of... reduced lifespan. Typically, Khe Dum Bridge (through La Dee Commune) has deep peeling, exposing the bridge deck steel; holes appear at the longitudinal girder wing connection, at risk of not ensuring safety with the current traffic and operating load.

Quang Nam has proposed and received support from the Government for investment resources for the project to renovate and upgrade National Highway 14D. The leaders of the Provincial People's Committee requested relevant agencies and localities to urgently complete the survey, design and investment procedures. The Department of Construction was assigned to coordinate and support the Provincial Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board (investor) to propose design solutions and reasonable traffic organization solutions for the project, ensuring investment efficiency, feasibility and full compliance with current technical regulations and standards.

The provincial leaders also noted that the relevant agencies should pay attention to the contents related to the structure of the project to meet current and future exploitation needs. This becomes even more important in the context of National Highway 14D having a large traffic volume, especially heavy-duty vehicles, which can affect the durability of the project and traffic safety...

The project to renovate and upgrade National Highway 14D is expected to start construction at the end of November 2025. The project has a total investment of VND 4,518 billion; of which the central budget supports VND 4,513 billion, the provincial budget 5 billion. Investment in expanding the roadbed to 9m, of which the road surface is 6m wide, reinforced 1m wide on each side; the bridge width is 9m.

According to a representative of Truong Hai International Transport and Logistics Company Limited (a member of THACO GROUP), Highway 14D has many advantages to attract large volumes of goods and passengers from the Bolaven Plateau and the Northeast region of Thailand, Myanmar, and the Indian Ocean to seaports in the Quang Nam, Da Nang, and Hue regions.

Vietnamese enterprises investing in Thailand and Laos have a great need to transport goods via Highway 14D to supply raw materials to processing factories in coastal areas, before exporting through seaports in Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, and Hue. In addition, many enterprises have a need to transport goods produced in Vietnam for consumption in Laos and Thailand.

Therefore, the investment and use of National Highway 14D will contribute to reducing transportation and cross-border transaction costs, promoting logistics development.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/khoi-thong-giao-lo-kinh-te-dong-tay-3157157.html