Ensuring traffic facilitates development

Timely Repair

In mid-July 2024, National Highway 16 through Doc Chuoi, Chau Kim Commune, Que Phong District suffered serious subsidence. The deepest point was more than 6m compared to the original road surface. Immediately after the incident, the Department of Transport implemented many safety measures such as setting up checkpoints to prohibit vehicles from passing, building temporary roads for traffic, and evacuating people around the subsidence area to a safe place...

The Que Phong Road Management Department also mobilized many machines, equipment and spare materials to handle any situation that may arise. However, the worrying thing at that time was that about 200m below the subsidence area, there was a shift in the geology.

According to the Que Phong district authorities, the subsidence area has 6 households of Chau Kim commune living. The locality has mobilized people to evacuate and move their belongings to a safe place. On July 20, a delegation of the Vietnam Road Administration, experts and the Nghe An Department of Transport went to the landslide site, inspected the situation and discussed a thorough solution.

After a field survey, representatives of the Vietnam Road Administration and leading experts made suggestions on solutions to handle the landslide at Chuoi slope, National Highway 16. Nghe An Department of Transport quickly coordinated with specialized agencies and localities to conduct a survey to make a preliminary assessment; from there, evaluate and research to propose appropriate and thorough solutions.

Overcoming the difficulties of terrain and unfavorable weather conditions in the past time, the forces have made efforts to construct a new temporary road at the subsidence point on National Highway 16. The new temporary road is about 160m long, about 4m wide, about 13m away from the old temporary road towards the positive slope. This is a location with solid ground, the functional forces have been embanking with stone gabions, filling soil, and rolling the road for the past month to complete it.

Although the new temporary road has been opened to traffic, it currently only allows small trucks, cars and motorbikes to pass through; tractor-trailers and trucks weighing over 7 tons are still required to take a detour to Quy Chau district. As for the old temporary road, because it is close to the subsidence point and is not safe, the authorities have barricaded it.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Son - Head of Que Phong Road Traffic Department, said: This new temporary route is important, helping local people to travel more conveniently, no longer having to take a detour like before. In addition, the road will become a public service road, serving the movement of machinery, raw materials, if in the near future, the Ministry of Transport and Nghe An province have a long-term repair plan for National Highway 16 at this subsidence point.

SYNCHRONIZED SOLUTIONS

In order to contribute to ensuring traffic safety, the Road Maintenance Management Board, Nghe An Department of Transport is actively focusing on the maintenance of national highways before the rainy season. The management of traffic infrastructure is being strengthened with many synchronous solutions to improve the efficiency of exploiting the traffic infrastructure system.

The Department has issued over 200 documents to direct, operate, guide and urge the management of traffic infrastructure. Strengthen regular maintenance work on routes, focus on directing the handling and repair of damaged locations; speed up the progress and improve the quality of periodic repair works on authorized national highways and provincial roads, ensuring convenient and safe travel for the people.

At the same time, Nghe An Department of Transport continues to implement the construction of transitional works under the 2023 maintenance plan; implement bidding work in 2024; develop a maintenance plan on the national highway system in 2025 to submit to the Ministry of Transport.

The Department also coordinates with the Department of Finance to develop a provincial road maintenance plan from the local budget approved by the Nghe An Provincial People's Council in Resolution No. 28/2021/NQ-HDND dated December 9, 2021; submit to the Provincial People's Committee to report to the Provincial People's Council for approval of the list of local maintenance works from the central budget support.

In the first 6 months of 2024, the budget for management and maintenance of roads managed by Nghe An Department of Transport is estimated at 60.6 billion VND. Currently, the focus is on directing the acceleration of construction progress of periodic repair works on national highways and organizing bidding for periodic repair works on provincial roads.

The Department directs the Road Maintenance Management Board to organize inspections and direct construction units to effectively implement measures to ensure traffic safety, supplement and repair traffic light systems, road signs, trim tree branches that obstruct visibility; supplement traffic signs, paint road markings, reflective eyes, reflective studs, guide markers, soft guardrails, corridor management work...

"In the coming time, the Department of Transport will continue to direct the Road Maintenance Management Board, coordinate with specialized departments and related units to conduct field inspections of each route; review and develop a road maintenance plan close to reality. Along with maintenance, during the rainy and stormy season, the Department will direct its affiliated units to arrange regular forces to handle all situations that arise, ensure smooth traffic safety, meet the travel needs of the people, and avoid unfortunate incidents that may occur," added Mr. Hoang Phu Hien - Director of Nghe An Department of Transport.