Information on inspection and construction of upgrading Cao Lanh - Lo Te route

TPO - The Vietnam Road Administration has just inspected the acceptance of the Cao Lanh - Lo Te (Dong Thap - Can Tho) route upgrade project. The results show that the project has achieved a number of important items but still has many problems in terms of progress, quality management and construction safety.

According to the Vietnam Road Administration (VRA), by the time of inspection (September 15-16), contractors had basically completed the roadbed. The bridge items on the road have completed the piles, substructure and girder installation at 28/29 bridges. As for the Lo Te intersection overpass, the main items such as piers and cross beams have been completed; the bridge deck has reached 4/5 spans.

Total accumulated output reached over 660 billion VND (86.5% of contract value). Disbursement reached nearly 637 billion VND, equivalent to 67.4% of total investment.

Despite many positive changes, the Vietnam Road Administration emphasized that the project's progress is still about 0.58% behind schedule.

Asphalt concrete pavement on the main route Cao Lanh - Lo Te. Photo: Nhat Huy

Some shortcomings pointed out by the Vietnam Road Administration include the contractor Truong Thanh not covering materials at Lo Te intersection, causing the risk of rust; lacking measures to prevent materials from falling during bridge construction; and some items of earthwork and retaining walls have not met progress.

Nghe An Construction Contractor's crushed stone construction still shows stratification; lack of proper compaction. Meanwhile, the Thang Long Bridge 7 Contractor is slow in constructing the bridge deck, lacks manpower; many waiting steel reinforcements show signs of rust; some bridges have installed girders but the anchoring measures are sketchy.

"The quality management records also revealed limitations when many documents citing expired standards, lacking acceptance signatures, incomplete bridge bearing management approval records, and construction logs lacking information. Field testing work was still inadequate, such as cramped premises, lack of equipment operating procedures, and acceptance records lacking the signature of the supervising consultant," the document of the Vietnam Road Administration stated.

The inspection team of the road management agency also noted many violations of labor safety, traffic and environmental sanitation at the Cao Lanh - Lo Te expressway project.

Contractors for the Cao Lanh - Lo Te route are making efforts to shorten the progress, striving to finish by October 2025. Photo: Nhat Huy.

In addition, there is a lack of signage and staff on duty at the project’s access roads. In addition, encroachment on road corridors and people opening their own access roads to the main roads also affects traffic safety.

The Vietnam Road Administration requires investors and contractors to urgently overcome existing problems, focusing on quickly approving and implementing adjusted design items, especially the service roads and lighting systems; adding measures to ensure traffic safety, environmental sanitation and labor protection equipment.

At the same time, investors need to review and complete quality management records, construction logs, acceptance records; work with local authorities to handle encroachment on corridors and illegal connections.

The Cao Lanh - Lo Te route upgrade project is nearly 29km long, with a total investment of about 950 billion VND, starting in April 2024 and expected to be completed by the end of 2025. The project is being constructed by a consortium of 5 contractors: Thang Long 7 Bridge, Nghe An Construction, Truong Thanh, Coinco 703 and Thi Son. Currently, the contractor is trying to shorten the progress, striving to reach the finish line in October 2025.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/thong-tin-ve-viec-kiem-tra-thi-cong-nang-cap-tuyen-cao-lanh-lo-te-post1781926.tpo