The hardships of two unfinished flood bridges

Every rainy season, the DT.586 route connecting National Highway 9 with Lia area, Quang Tri province turns into a swamp, cutting off the lives of tens of thousands of people on the border. Two bridges over the flood were started to overcome this situation, but the project has been left unfinished, making travel even more difficult and dangerous.

After storm No. 10, when the rain had just stopped, the DT.586 road leading to the Lia area turned into a patchy mud strip. Trucks carrying wood and cassava stuck one after another in the middle of the unfinished construction road. Under the unfinished concrete bridges, the sound of excavators echoed in the slimy scene, trying to pull each truck half-buried in the mud. On one side was a water-soaked mountainside, on the other was a turbulent, swirling stream. The vital road connecting the lowlands with the border areas was blocked after every heavy rain.

People work hard next to the flood bridge in Lia commune.

Mr. Tran Dinh Dung, Chairman of Lia Commune People's Committee, stood still looking at the traffic jam, then sighed softly: "The two overflow tunnels at Km3+937 and Km12+771 are places where people pass through every day. But it has been more than a year since the construction of the overpass started, the project is still not completed, rocks and soil are scattered, when it rains, the road turns into fields. More than 14 thousand people of the commune have a hard time traveling. Some people fell in the middle of the road, some cars had to stay overnight waiting for rescuers." He said, his eyes still looking towards the hazy mountain range in the distance, where the red dirt road has become a haunting memory of many rainy and stormy seasons.

From the center of Lia commune, going about 20 km further south is A Doi commune - the last area of ​​Quang Tri province, bordering Vietnam - Laos. The lives of more than 11,000 people here are also divided by these two overflows. Ms. Ho Thi Thu Hang, Party Secretary, Chairwoman of the People's Council of A Doi commune, said: "Every day, cadres, students, and people have to cross two flooded sections to go to work, school, and market. In those places, it is called muddy, because there are sections where the mud is up to the knees. Students wear white shirts to class, but when they get there, their shirts have turned reddish-brown. The most pitiful are the children walking, sometimes falling down in the middle of the road, having to be pulled up. And the most worrying thing is that every time the flood water rises, taking the sick to the medical station has to wait until the water recedes."

Those who keep the peace at this border also understand the hardship. Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Quang Trung, Chief of A Doi Commune Police, said: “There are nights of heavy rain, water overflows the tunnel, we have to stretch ropes and block both ends to prevent people from crossing. Many people think the water is just a little bit high, dare to cross, but then get swept away, which is very dangerous. Every rainy season, we stay up all night, both to maintain security and to ensure people's safety.” He said that the most important thing for officers, soldiers as well as people here is that the bridges will be completed soon. “With solid bridges, people can work with peace of mind, children can go to school without fear of flood water, and sick people can go to the emergency room without suffering,” he said.

According to our research, the construction of the two overpass bridges on the Lia - A Doi route began in August 2024, with a total investment of VND 26.8 billion, a length of nearly 730m, and a commitment to complete in October 2025. This is not only a civil project, but also an important strategic route for national defense and security. At the end of July 2025, the People's Committee of Quang Tri province issued a directive document, allocating additional capital and requiring the contractor to work in "3 shifts, 4 teams" to speed up the progress. However, up to now, the construction is still sluggish, while continuous rain and floods threaten the risk of slowing down the progress.

Mr. Hoang Anh Quang, Director of the Traffic Maintenance Management Board, Department of Construction of Quang Tri province, said that up to now, the main structure of the bridge has been completed, but many other items need to be accelerated. The Board is making efforts to put the project into use.

Leaving the road, we silently looked at the two concrete blocks standing tall against the gray, damp sky, like two halves of an unfinished dream. At the foot of the bridge, the road surface was still thick with red mud, mottled with tire tracks, and densely imprinted with human footprints. Occasionally, a child would cycle by, struggling to keep his balance in the deep mud. Teachers in the highlands still regularly crossed streams and waded through mud to get to class. Police officers were still patiently on duty by the roadside. Everyone was waiting for the same thing: the day the bridge would be completed, connecting the two banks of peace for the people in the border area.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/Giao-thong/noi-nhoc-nhan-ben-hai-cay-cau-vuot-lu-do-dang-i785368/