Concerns about suspension bridges and temporary bridges not ensuring safety during storm season

(Baothanhhoa.vn) - With 7 suspension bridges spanning rivers and streams, the travel of people in Lang Chanh district is more convenient and faster. However, there are currently many bridges that do not ensure safety for people passing by and need to be quickly built, repaired or removed. This is something that should be done, especially when the 2025 storm season is approaching.

Long suspension bridge, Tam Van commune.

The suspension bridge from Long village to Pha village, Tam Van commune, is over 120m long, the bridge deck is 2m wide, the floor is made of iron, the cables and stays are made of steel. The bridge is responsible for connecting 350 households of Long village and Pha village with the commune center across the Am river. Although the bridge was newly built in 2013, due to the impact of floods, most recently the flood in 2022, the abutment on one side of the bridge had to be reinforced to protect the bridge, which collapsed. The railings on both sides of the bridge have broken places and the stays are sagging... causing danger to pedestrians, especially during the rainy and stormy season.

Mr. Luong Vu Quang, a resident of Pha village, said: “Every day I take my children to the commune center to go to school across this bridge 4 times. Because the bridge was built a long time ago, the beams, cables, and stay wires are rusty, every time I cross the bridge, it shakes and is very dangerous. I hope the government will pay attention and soon build a hard bridge for the people to make traveling more convenient and safer.”

Chairman of Tam Van Commune People's Committee Le Van Canh said: "There are currently two suspension bridges for people in the commune, Ban Long Bridge and Ban Lot Bridge. The commune has allocated budget and mobilized people to contribute to repairing and upgrading the bridges. At the same time, the bridges are regularly inspected, especially before and during the storm season to detect and handle incidents promptly. However, both bridges have shown signs of deterioration; the cables have become loose, and the bridge floors and railings have broken joints."

With the attention of the province and district, Ban Long bridge is preparing to be replaced by a prestressed concrete bridge. However, regarding the Ban Pha suspension bridge, Chairman of Tan Phuc Commune People's Committee Le Van Phu said: "Vehicles traveling on the bridge are shaking, screws are falling, cables are tilting to one side, so it is not safe to travel on the bridge, especially during the rainy and stormy season. Therefore, to ensure the safety of people and vehicles when participating in traffic on the bridge, in addition to recommending the district to have a plan to repair the bridge, the locality has propagated and warned people to be careful when crossing the bridge. At the same time, assign staff to regularly check, detect and promptly handle incidents that occur."

Head of the Economic - Infrastructure Department of Lang Chanh District, Le Quang Tung, said: “Among the 7 suspension bridges currently in use to serve the travel needs of the people in the district, Ben Lam Bridge (Giao An Commune) and Ban Long Bridge (Tam Van Commune) are currently degraded, causing danger to people and vehicles when participating in traffic on the bridge. These two bridges have a policy of investing in a rigid bridge to replace the degraded suspension bridge. The remaining bridges are not yet in the investment list because the bridges are still usable, but some locations such as longitudinal beams, cross beams, and railings are rusty... Therefore, to ensure the safety of the people when crossing the suspension bridge in the rainy season, localities need to check the load-bearing parts of the bridge such as the main cable, suspension system, bridge deck, anchor hole, anchor wire, anchor block, bridge tower. At the same time, regular maintenance must be carried out and when damage is detected, it must be repaired immediately to ensure the safety of the structure during operation; in case of severe damage, safety must be ensured. timely put up barriers, not allowing vehicles to pass through the bridge.

Article and photos: Minh Ly

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/noi-lo-cau-tréo-cau-tam-khong-dam-bao-an-toan-trong-mua-mua-bao-251054.htm