Tractor trailer accident on National Highway 49 through Phu Vinh commune, A Luoi district at the end of 2024

Many accidents in a row

National Highway 49 from Km25 to Km78 (Thuan Hoa district to A Luoi district) is designed as a grade V mountainous road with terrain characteristics of many steep passes, often causing landslides in the rainy season, causing traffic disruption on the route. From the end of 2023 until now, especially since the appearance of many heavy-duty vehicles carrying coal dust and wood from Laos, National Highway 49 has frequently had many traffic accidents.

For example, at the end of 2024, at Km 74 +600 on National Highway 49 passing through A Luoi district, a tractor trailer overturned. According to A Luoi district police, the tractor trailer with license plate 74C-08387 towing a trailer with license plate 74R 00778 was driven by Mr. NNH (born in 1975, residing in Quarter 1, Dong Luong Ward, Dong Ha City, Quang Tri Province), transporting wood from Laos. When reaching the A Co Pass area in Phu Vinh commune, A Luoi district, the vehicle overturned and plunged into a ravine about 30m deep. The accident resulted in the driver's death on the spot and the vehicle being severely damaged.

Previously, at km 72+200 of National Highway 49 in Son Thuy commune, A Luoi district, a coal tractor with license plate 15C-131.119 driven by Mr. PCN (born in 1975, residing in Cam An commune, Cam Lo district, Quang Tri province) was traveling in the direction of A Luoi to the city center when he lost control and plunged into the abyss. At the scene, the tractor fell into the abyss about 100m away, was damaged, and the driver was seriously injured.

According to the Road Management Office 2.5 (Road Management Area II, Ministry of Transport ), Highway 49 is designed as a grade V mountainous road with many hairpin bends, limited visibility, and a road surface of less than 5m in some places. In particular, the route also has many steep passes such as Ta Luong, Kim Quy, A Co with narrow roads and sharp turns. Projects to improve dangerous locations with potential traffic safety risks on Highway 49 through the area have been and are being implemented to improve the route surface, enhance traffic safety, and increase the ability to exploit and the life of the project.

Synchronize solutions

In order to upgrade National Highway 49 and eliminate traffic "black spots", in 2023, the Project to Improve Potential Traffic Safety Locations on National Highway 49 through the city will be implemented with a total investment of nearly 85 billion VND, from the capital source for road economic activities, with Road Management Area II (Ministry of Transport) as the investor.

Mr. Dang Nguyen Ngoc Linh - Deputy Head of the Road Management Office 2.5 said that the project was deployed with a scale of handling 27 "black spots" on National Highway 49 from Thuan Hoa district to Huong Tra town and A Luoi district. Of which, in A Luoi district alone, the project handled 15 traffic safety-defective spots, with the goal of improving the surface so that the basic geometric elements of the route meet the technical requirements of a grade IV mountainous road, ensuring traffic safety. The project has straightened the route to expand the view, dug up the positive slope, reinforced the curb and repaired, widened the road surface and bed to 6.5m.

In addition, the project also invested in traffic safety systems such as reflective studs, guide rails, guardrails, painted lines, and signs. Some locations built negative embankments to widen the road surface, built drainage systems, extended sewer systems, longitudinal ditches, and resurfaced the road surface to improve traffic safety as well as enhance the exploitation capacity and life of the project. Currently, this project has been completed and is taking effect, minimizing traffic accidents on the route.

In parallel, Road Management Area II is also implementing the project to upgrade and build new Lien Bang 1 and 2 bridges. The current status of these two bridges was limited in load capacity, narrow, low, causing flooding. The project has implemented the construction of two new bridges, raising the height and adjusting the route to increase the operating load, ensuring visibility and preventing flooding. In addition, Project Management Board 5 is currently implementing the project to repair the local roadbed of National Highway 49 from Km 25+100 to Km 77+800. This project has been basically completed but has not yet been accepted, settled and handed over to the management unit.

Recently, the Road Management Office 2.5 has presided over and coordinated with the Traffic Safety Committee, the Department of Transport, the Traffic Police Department of Hue City Police, and road maintenance units to inspect the scene and propose solutions to handle black spots and potential traffic accident spots on the national highways. Accordingly, National Highway 49 has 4 points at Km21+800 - Km24+300; Km25+000 - Km26+200; Km46+700 and Km46+900 with additional traffic safety facilities such as no-overtaking signs, convex mirrors, slow-down signs, and guide signs. At the same time, Thua Thien Hue Road Management and Construction Joint Stock Company has also cleared trees at the northern curve of Hong Tien Bridge to ensure visibility.

National Highway 49 is a vital cross-border route of the East-West economic corridor, connecting the Lao PDR border gates (Hong Van - Hue City/Koutai - Salavan) to the city's seaport. This route has special significance in terms of socio-economics and national security for Hue City in particular and the Central region in general.
Article and photos: HA NGUYEN