A series of cars fell into potholes at the An Phu intersection leading to the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh expressway.

On September 28th, representatives from Road Management Unit 1 (Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport) received complaints from many car drivers regarding the peeling and subsidence of the road surface around the An Phu intersection.

Responding to a reporter from Giao Thong Newspaper, a representative of Road Management Board 1 confirmed that they have requested the contractor to patch, repair, and resurface the damaged areas with asphalt tonight to ensure traffic safety.

The An Phu intersection project commenced in late 2022 with a total investment of over 3,400 billion VND, and is expected to be completed by April 30, 2025. With many parallel construction items such as underpasses, elevated bridges, and branch bridges, the project requires the mobilization of hundreds of heavy trucks to ensure timely completion.

The volume of vehicles turning left from Mai Chi Tho Street onto the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway, reaching hundreds of thousands per day, is also the main reason why the An Phu interchange is overloaded and the road surface is damaged.

A panoramic view of the An Phu interchange; the left branch is the road that branches off to the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway.

According to observations by reporters from Giao Thong Newspaper, the section of road from Mai Chi Tho Street turning left for about 500 meters onto the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway is riddled with potholes. These potholes are interspersed along the turnoff to the expressway, leaving most drivers knowing they are about to fall into a hole but with no other option.

"I spotted a pothole ahead but couldn't change lanes because the area was congested. Stopping suddenly would cause the car behind me to crash. This situation, if repeated, is extremely dangerous, increasing the risk of tire damage or cracking after a collision, leading to traffic accidents," said Minh (38 years old), a resident who commutes daily on this road.

A worker at the project shared that in many places, even though the asphalt concrete had only been applied about a week ago, it was already peeling off again due to continuous rain.

The An Phu intersection is located at a low elevation but lacks a drainage system, requiring manual pumping. Furthermore, the traffic volume is extremely high, making it impossible to constantly patch up the road surface.

Closing just one lane for construction will cause serious traffic congestion. Therefore, patching the road can only be done at night if the weather is clear.

Representatives from the Cat Lai Traffic Police Team, the unit responsible for patrolling the intersection area, stated that they have received numerous complaints from residents about the aforementioned situation. Drivers' fear of potholes and their inching forward cause traffic congestion, while this location always needs to be cleared quickly.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport Inspectorate stated that it had reminded the investor about the issue and requested regular monitoring and rectification while the underpass construction is still underway.

"The problem is that the contractor is currently still constructing the underpass and the bridge piers, so they cannot yet restore and upgrade the entire underpass surface, including the lanes where peeling has occurred."

"This issue is related to technical solutions and schedule discrepancies, so we'll almost certainly have to wait until the project reaches its final stages to fully resolve it," this person shared.

Here are some photos taken by PV Giao Thong Newspaper:

The road surface at the turnoff to the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway is peeling off.

Fearing falling into potholes, many vehicles slowed down, increasing the risk of traffic congestion.

A pothole awaits to "trap" cars on a frequently damaged section of road.

Another pothole formed due to the loss of one of its cover panels.

The subsided areas continued to show signs of peeling after only 1-2 weeks due to continuous rain.

Following numerous complaints from drivers about the numerous potholes in the area, the construction unit has temporarily placed steel plates over them.

The road leading to the highway at the An Phu interchange is riddled with potholes.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/loat-o-to-sup-o-ga-o-nut-giao-an-phu-re-vao-cao-toc-tphcm-long-thanh-dau-giay-192240928093349362.htm