In Muong Hum commune, Lao Cai province, there are currently many suspension bridges and iron bridges that were invested in since the 1990s and have seriously degraded. Although there are plans to dismantle them, due to lack of funding for treatment, many bridges still exist, posing a potential safety risk to people traveling.
Muong Hum iron bridge in the central market area of Muong Hum commune on the road connecting Ban Xeo - Muong Hum commune to Y Ty commune. After decades of operation, the bridge has degraded, not ensuring safety for people and vehicles passing by.
Not far away, a concrete bridge has been invested by the State to ensure safe travel, however, some local people still have the habit of traveling over the iron bridge even though it does not shorten the journey much.
To ensure people's safety, local authorities have barricaded both ends of the bridge and put up warning signs, but after a while, people removed the fences and went across.
Similarly, Pieng Lao suspension bridge connects the center of Muong Hum commune to Pieng Lao village to Trung Leng Ho commune (old). Although the State invested in a concrete bridge to replace this suspension bridge many years ago, people in Pieng Lao village are still used to going over the suspension bridge to reduce the detour.
Mr. Ly Van Ho in Pieng Lao village said: His house is right next to the suspension bridge, so when he has to go to the commune center, he often goes over this bridge for convenience.
According to the report of Muong Hum Commune People's Committee, in the area there are many suspension bridges such as Pieng Lao, Trung Leng Ho, Kin Chu Phin 2 and the iron bridge in Muong Hum market that have been in service for more than two decades, and now many parts are damaged. Cables, decks, joints, bolts, bridge bearings... in many locations are corroded, loose, and loose; anchor pillars and foundations are affected by flash floods, landslides... leading to reduced structural durability. Meanwhile, people still often travel by bicycle, motorbike, and even carry goods across these bridges, increasing the risk of insecurity.
Mr. Phan A Trac - Deputy Head of Economic Department, Muong Hum Commune People's Committee said: "In terms of safety, the old bridge is no longer guaranteed. It is worth mentioning that in these areas, concrete bridges have been invested in to replace them. To prevent risks, the commune government has fenced off both ends of the bridge and installed warning signs.
Authorities also coordinate to remind and handle cases of intentional violations to ensure people's safety.
However, this temporary solution is only a "short-term solution". Dismantling and thoroughly handling the old bridge is necessary to completely eliminate the risk, while freeing up land, ensuring aesthetics and public safety.
According to the leader of Muong Hum Commune People's Committee, the biggest difficulty currently in dismantling suspension bridges and iron bridges is the issue of funding and the mechanism for using liquidation funds.
Demolition, transportation and disposal of old materials require specialized machinery, human resources and means, and significant costs. Meanwhile, current regulations do not provide specific guidance on the use of funds when liquidating old bridge structures, leading to many arising problems.
Some villages and hamlets also proposed dismantling steel structures to build bridges for people, but this proposal is also very difficult to implement because there is no unit to evaluate the reuse of steel structures to ensure safety.
Mr. Phan A Trac - Deputy Head of the Economic Department of Muong Hum commune said: "When the district-level government was still in place, the People's Committee of Bat Xat district and the departments and branches of the province inspected the current status and requested the Provincial People's Committee to allow the dismantling of a number of degraded bridges that had expired and were approved by the Provincial People's Committee. However, this work was interrupted when the administrative units were reorganized and the district-level government was dissolved.
Recently, the Economic Department has advised the People's Committee of Muong Hum commune to calculate a plan to recover scrap to offset the cost of dismantling, but in reality, the value of the scrap collected is not enough to cover all the costs of dismantling and transportation. In addition, many bridges are located in mountainous terrain, difficult to access, causing construction costs and ensuring labor safety to increase significantly.
While waiting for guidance from authorities, the expired bridges still exist, not only posing a potential safety risk but also wasting resources as they deteriorate over time.
Source: https://baolaocai.vn/muong-hum-kho-khan-trong-thao-do-cau-het-nien-han-post887013.html
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