Risk of unsafe bridge construction on National Highway 14D

(QNO) - On May 27, a working delegation of the province chaired by the Department of Construction of Quang Nam coordinated with the Management Board of Economic Zones and Industrial Parks of the province, the Traffic Police Department of the Provincial Public Security, the road management unit and the People's Committee of Nam Giang district to inspect the actual bridge system on National Highway 14D.

Working group inspects damaged bridge. Photo: CONG TU

A representative of Quang Nam Transport Construction Joint Stock Company (the route management unit) said that statistics show that National Highway 14D has a total of 30 bridges (including 11 large bridges). In recent times, on National Highway 14 through Nam Giang district, each day there has been an average of 500 heavy trucks (6 axles) transporting goods from Laos through Nam Giang International Border Gate to the seaports of Hue, Da Nang and Quang Nam. With such traffic and load, the traffic infrastructure of National Highway 14D is severely damaged and degraded.

Many heavy trucks running on National Highway 14D. Photo: CONG TU

Through regular inspections on National Highway 14B, the management unit discovered that 5 bridges were damaged and posed a risk to traffic safety. They are Khe Dum Bridge (km70+508) and A Mo Bridge (km56+567) in La Dee Commune, DakRing Bridge (km40+297) through Cha Val Commune, Suoi Da Bridge (km26+160) through Ta Po Commune and Ca Dang Bridge (km5+185) in Ta Bhing Commune.

[ VIDEO ] - Current status of Khe Dum bridge:

On site inspection, the working group found that the bridges had damaged road surfaces on both sides of the bridge, the bridge surface had peeled off, and potholes appeared... The most worrying thing was Khe Dum bridge, which had been put into use since 2003, now had a deeply peeled surface, exposing the bridge deck steel; holes appeared at the longitudinal girder wing connection... Preliminary survey showed that the bridge was severely damaged, at risk of not being safe with the current traffic and operating load.

The surface of Khe Dum bridge is peeling off, exposing the steel. Photo: CONG TU

Lieutenant Colonel Huynh Tan Hai - Deputy Head of the Traffic Police Department said that, in the face of traffic safety issues on Highway 14D, the department's leaders have directed the task force to regularly patrol and warn drivers to comply with traffic safety regulations. The unit has also made many recommendations to competent authorities and functional agencies to repair the damage.
Regarding the current status of Khe Dum bridge, Lieutenant Colonel Huynh Tan Hai recommended that the relevant authorities have appropriate solutions to ensure the safety of the project.

The A Mo bridge deck was also damaged. Photo: CONG TU

At the scene, Mr. Ha Phuoc Loc - Head of the Traffic Infrastructure Management Department (Department of Construction) requested the route management unit to immediately put up warning signs about the weak bridge, requiring trucks to pass one by one at a time at a limited speed. Regarding their responsibilities, the departments and functional units will advise the leaders of the Department of Construction on a long-term solution. If necessary, the Provincial People's Committee will advise the competent authority to ban vehicles from circulating for a period of time if major repairs are carried out.

[VIDEO] - Engineer Nguyen Dai Phuc - Head of Road Maintenance Management Department ( Quang Nam Transport Construction Joint Stock Company) talks about the current situation of the bridge on National Highway 14D:

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/nguy-co-mat-an-toan-cong-trinh-cau-tren-quoc-lo-14d-3155604.html