Quang Ngai: Safety warning for Chau O bridge on National Highway 1 due to rising flood waters

The Vietnam Road Administration (Ministry of Construction) has just announced that currently, flood water in Quang Ngai is rising very quickly, reaching the Chau O bridge beam on National Highway 1, posing a risk to the safety of the project.

To ensure safety, the authorities have closed the bridge and regulated traffic on the Da Nang - Quang Ngai Expressway and Dung Quat route. The floodwaters touching the Chau O bridge girder at Km1036+261 of National Highway 1 through Binh Son commune, Quang Ngai province are threatening the safety of the project.

Road Management Area III (Vietnam Road Administration) further informed that at 12:40 on October 29, 2025, the floodwaters reached the bottom of the Chau O bridge girder. To ensure the safety of the project, Road Management Area III directed people to be on duty at the scene, monitor the situation and coordinate with local forces to ensure the safety of the project, divide traffic, regulate and guide traffic. In the face of the possibility of floodwaters rising, at 1:15 p.m. on October 29, 2025, the road management unit coordinated with the traffic police force of Quang Ngai province and the Department of Construction of Quang Ngai province to set up barriers, prohibiting vehicles and people from crossing the bridge, and assigned forces to be on duty at both ends of Chau O bridge.

Chau O Bridge area water level is rising.

To ensure traffic flow on the North-South route, Road Management Area III has coordinated with the Traffic Safety Committee, the Department of Construction, the Traffic Police Department, the Quang Ngai Provincial Police and Da Nang City to divert traffic from a distance. Accordingly, vehicles traveling on National Highway 1 from the North to Doc Soi intersection at Km1028 of National Highway 1 turn left to Dung Quat and then exit National Highway 1 at Binh Long intersection at Km1040+200 and vice versa.

Similarly, traffic diversion from a distance on the Da Nang - Quang Ngai expressway is also implemented, in the North at the Chu Lai - Truong Hai intersection and in the South at the end of the Da Nang - Quang Ngai expressway access road. There are 2 options for diversion of Chau O bridge at Km1036+261 QL1 Quang Ngai. Option 1 (option going close to the local road), from the North to the Soi slope intersection Km1028+200/National Highway 1, turn left to Dung Quat and then exit back to QL1 at the Binh Long intersection Km1040+200 and vice versa. Option 2 (option to divert traffic from a distance onto the Da Nang - Quang Ngai expressway), from the North to the Truong Hai overpass intersection (Nui Thanh commune, Da Nang city) Km1011+800/QL1, turn right to get onto the Da Nang - Quang Ngai expressway to the intersection Km1063+720/QL1 (intersection between QL1 and the Da Nang - Quang Ngai expressway at Km139+204) to go to the South and vice versa.

On the same day, in the face of severe rain and floods causing landslides and cutting off many national highways, the Vietnam Road Administration directed the increase of rescue supplies, especially steel cages, from the Southern reserve warehouse to provide emergency support to Road Management Zones II and III in the Central region.

Accordingly, implementing the direction of the Prime Minister in Official Dispatch No. 203/CD-TTg dated October 27, 2025 on "focusing on emergency response and overcoming the consequences of heavy rain and floods in the Central region", of the Ministry of Construction in Official Dispatch No. 81/CD-BXD dated October 28, 2025 on "focusing on proactively responding to exceptionally heavy rain and floods on rivers in Hue city and emergency floods on rivers in Da Nang city" and Document No. 12414/BXD-VT&ATGT dated October 28, 2025 on "approving the policy of supplementing the plan to purchase steel cages in 2025";

Flash flood on Lo Xo pass.

Pursuant to Circular No. 40/2024/TT-BGTVT dated November 15, 2024 of the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction) on regulations on prevention, control and overcoming of consequences of natural disasters in the road sector.

After reviewing the request of Road Management Zone II and Road Management Zone III to provide additional steel baskets from the Ministry of Construction's reserve material warehouses to promptly serve the work of preventing, combating and overcoming natural disasters caused by storm No. 12 in the management area, to promptly ensure traffic on national highways, the Vietnam Road Administration requested Road Management Zone II, Road Management Zone III and Road Management Zone IV to urgently carry out warehouse procedures, organize transportation and hand over steel baskets to Road Management Zone II and Road Management Zone III. Specifically, Road Management Zone II: 15,000 PVC-coated steel baskets of size (2x1x0.5)m; 5,000 galvanized steel baskets of size (2x1x0.5)m and with wire ties. Road Management Zone III: 15,000 PVC-coated steel baskets of size (2x1x0.5)m; 5,000 galvanized steel baskets of size (2x1x0.5)m and with wire ties. QLDB II and QLDB III proactively contacted, discussed and coordinated with QLDB IV to organize the timely reception of the above steel baskets and ensure effective use of the mobilized steel baskets.

Order to issue spare materials and warehouse delivery note, procedures on transportation costs, Zone QLDB IV is responsible for implementing and completing procedures according to regulations.

The urgent reinforcement of steel cages from the South to the Central region demonstrates the decisive, proactive and timely direction of the Vietnam Road Administration in ensuring smooth and safe traffic, contributing to quickly overcoming the consequences of natural disasters, stabilizing life and trade in the Central region.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/Giao-thong/quang-ngai-bao-dong-an-toan-cau-chau-o-tren-ql1-do-nuoc-lu-dang-cao-i786261/