A year of racing to connect the North Expressway

Contractors on 10 component projects of the North-South Expressway Phase 2 (from Ha Tinh to Khanh Hoa) are increasing shifts, supplementing resources, and turning the tide. Many projects have shortened their timelines by 3-6 months. Materials are no longer a concern on the Can Tho - Ca Mau Expressway project.

Positive signs after construction site pressure.

As 2024 drew to a close, Colonel Nguyen Tuan Anh, Deputy Commander of the 12th Army Corps and Deputy General Director of Truong Son Construction Corporation, greeted the reporter with a rare radiant expression: "On the North-South expressway, we have mastered the progress of all five construction packages we are involved in."

Construction is underway on the North-South Expressway section from Vũng Áng to Bùng.

Instead of exceeding or meeting deadlines, the commander cautiously used the word "mastering." Prior to this, the engineers and workers of Truong Son had gone through days of intense mental strain.

Like the Van Ninh - Cam Lo project, this project represents the most positive transformation of the Truong Son mountain range. In this project, the most complex component is the An Ma 2 bridge, consisting of 11 spans, launched onto a steep mountainside, under extremely difficult construction conditions.

But it wasn't until February 2024, more than a year after construction began, that the contractor received the land. And even then, there was no access road.

"The My Duc Bridge, with its six spans, faced a similar situation, with the land only being handed over in June 2024. Meanwhile, the project was instructed to shorten its timeline by 3-6 months, and the executive director even considered resigning from his position due to excessive worry," Mr. Tuan Anh recalled.

Afterward, the Command Headquarters leadership visited to encourage the management team, and together with the local authorities, analyzed the situation and resolved the bottlenecks.

"Race against time, we started working the very day the local authorities handed over the land. The construction plan was adjusted accordingly.

"By the New Year, the two bridges were basically ready for traffic. From 30% completion at the beginning of the year, the construction value rapidly increased to over 70% by the end of 2024," Colonel Nguyen Tuan Anh recounted.

Staying at the construction site, forgetting about days off.

In the last week of 2024, after tidying up his work in Hanoi , Mr. Le Thang, Director of Project Management Board 2, once again "packed his bags" and headed to the Quang Ngai - Hoai Nhon construction site.

Mr. Thang's trips were not only to assess the situation and work with local authorities, but also to encourage and motivate his colleagues to persevere in the challenging "battlefield."

"Over the past year, as many as five project managers have resigned or requested transfers to other projects due to work pressure," Mr. Thang explained.

The Quang Ngai - Hoai Nhon section is the longest and most complex of the 12 component projects of the North-South Expressway Phase 2. The terrain is extensive, and the management board only has about 13-15 members.

Every day, the management team wakes up and begins a continuous work schedule of 13-15 hours. Some people only manage to go home 4-5 days out of 30 in a month. Due to the heavy workload, many have chosen to leave the construction site.

Putting aside the remaining shortcomings, according to the leaders of Project Management Board 2, in 2024, the Quang Ngai - Hoai Nhon project also managed to receive positive signals thanks to the tireless efforts of the investor and contractors.

From June to August 2024, site clearance was completed, with peak months seeing the value of work on-site reaching 500 billion VND, 1.5 to 2 times higher than in previous months.

"Secrets" from the first phase of the expressway project.

From the Dien Chau - Bai Vot expressway construction site, part of the North-South expressway project phase 1, Mr. Vo Van Hoang, Deputy General Director of Cienco4 Group, was soon assigned by the leadership to the North-South expressway project phase 2, specifically the Bung - Van Ninh section, to develop a plan for accelerating progress.

To complete the entire North-South Expressway (Eastern section) by 2025 and reach the 3,000km milestone, there is still much work to be done.

Committed to the construction site, thousands of engineers and workers have spent many Tet holidays far from their loved ones and hometowns. However, we believe that everyone will be extremely happy to contribute to building and extending these roads, leading the country into a new era.

Mr. Nguyen The Minh, Deputy Director of the Department of Investment and Construction Management

According to Mr. Hoang, who is responsible for nearly 16km of the main route in the project, the biggest bottleneck at the beginning of 2024 was land acquisition issues, making the coordination of road embankment excavation and filling extremely difficult.

Drawing lessons from the first phase of the North-South Expressway, the Cienco4 management board, together with the investor and local authorities, established teams to visit each household to encourage and support temporary housing costs, enabling residents to rent temporary accommodation instead of waiting for houses to be built in the newly handed-over resettlement area.

"What I remember most is the land clearance work in the area of ​​Mr. Binh's household at Km 638+200 in Dung Cam residential area, Viet Trung Agricultural Farm town."

"From June to August 2024, the contractor brought in equipment three times to begin construction of the main line, but had to turn back because the residents had not yet agreed. It wasn't until September 12, 2024, after many dialogues and persuasion efforts, that this household finally handed over the land," Mr. Hoang recalled.

Drawing on the experience gained from the tense period of Phase 1, Colonel Nguyen Tuan Anh believes that contractors are now in a different mindset for Phase 2 of the North-South Expressway project. Progress has been accelerated right from the start.

"The goal is to prioritize projects that are progressing well in order to focus resources on slower-moving projects. For example, at the Bung - Van Ninh project, Truong Son worked day and night, and before the Lunar New Year, it was ready for the main route to open, shortening the schedule by 8 months," the leader shared.

"Overcoming the sun and conquering the rain" is not just a slogan.

At the end of December 2024, upon returning to Hanoi after inspecting the construction progress at several component projects of the North-South Expressway Phase 2, Mr. Nguyen The Minh, Deputy Director of the Construction Investment Management Department (Ministry of Transport), shared: "The construction sites have seen significant progress."

According to Mr. Minh, due to its exceptionally important significance, the North-South expressway project continues to receive special attention from the Government leadership. In 2024 alone, the Prime Minister personally visited the site 11 times to inspect, resolve difficulties, and encourage the engineers and workers.

On five of those occasions, the Prime Minister visited the Can Tho - Ca Mau section of the project. After each trip, the head of government issued specific directives, assigning tasks to each ministry, sector, and locality.

By the end of November 2023, localities had only handed over approximately 673km of land for the project (93%), and the overall construction output was only about 15% of the contract value. Sand filling remains a major concern for the Can Tho - Ca Mau section of the project.

By early December 2024, land clearance work was basically completed at 99.96%. Construction output reached nearly 61% of the contract value. The supply of sand for the Can Tho - Ca Mau section was confirmed to be sufficient, with reserves meeting requirements.

"The construction atmosphere became even more vibrant after the Prime Minister launched a 500-day and night emulation campaign to complete 3,000km of expressway. The amount of manpower and equipment mobilized to the construction site increased by 1.2 - 1.5 times, with workers rotating in '3 shifts, 4 teams', overcoming weather challenges."

"Only by seeing the workers stretching tarpaulins in the rain, constructing each expansion joint on the bridge deck, can one truly understand that the spirit of 'overcoming the sun and conquering the rain' is no longer just a slogan."

"At every construction site now, there's the dictates of the heart, the sacrifice of personal pleasure, and contractors willing to accept additional costs and change construction methods to reopen the vital road as soon as possible," Mr. Minh revealed.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/mot-nam-dua-noi-thong-cao-toc-bac-nam-19225013114455048.htm