Identifying the 'death' bridges in Nghe An

A typical example is Ba Ba bridge passing through Gia My hamlet and Xuan Lai hamlet over Vach Bac river, in Do Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district. This bridge was built in 1980, and is now seriously degraded, making it unsafe for people to travel across.

According to observations, at the two abutments as well as the bridge surface, many sections have been cracked, creating wide gaps, especially along the bridge railing, which has broken in 3 places, 2-3 meters long, with a section of broken railing hanging in the middle of the river. Meanwhile, many people pass through here every day, especially during rush hour.

Ms. Tran Thi Minh in Gia My hamlet, Do Thanh commune said: The most frightening thing is when going at night, the bridge's guardrails are broken in many places so you can fall into the canal at any time. In fact, there have been a number of cases where people and vehicles have fallen into the river, but fortunately there have been no unfortunate consequences. People are looking forward to the construction of a new bridge for convenient and safe travel.

Mr. Luyen Xuan Hue - Chairman of Do Thanh Commune People's Committee said: This is an important bridge connecting the main road to Do Thanh Commune People's Committee and National Highway 1, but it is currently severely damaged. The commune has banned cars from traveling, only allowing motorbikes and bicycles to pass. The commune recommends that people be careful when crossing the bridge to avoid the risk of accidents.

Also in the same situation, Hoa Thanh town bridge, Yen Thanh district, across Dinh river, was built decades ago, is an important traffic hub connecting Yen Thanh district urban area. Currently, the locality has placed warning signs about weak bridge, vehicles need to limit load.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Sang - Deputy Head of the Economic - Infrastructure Department of Yen Thanh district added: From 2021 to now, Yen Thanh district has upgraded and built 5 key bridges, including Dong Ruong bridge, Long Thanh commune; Bau Dai bridge, Lang Thanh commune; Van Tu bridge, Van Tu commune...

Currently, in the district, there are still more than 10 weak and seriously degraded bridges affecting travel and traffic safety, including: Sa Tran bridge, Van Tu commune; Long Nhan bridge, Yen Moi bridge, Long Thanh commune; Ba Ba bridge, Do Thanh commune...

Yen Thanh district is reviewing weak bridges and submitting requests to the sectors for funding from programs, projects, and state capital to invest in building and replacing "old" bridges to create favorable travel conditions for people.

Similarly, Nghi Trung Bridge, Nghi Trung Commune, Nghi Loc District, was built in 1990, connecting neighboring communes but has now also deteriorated. Observations at this bridge show that the railing system is mostly broken, exposing the steel. The bridge surface has peeled off, while the traffic volume on this bridge is quite high.

According to the Department of Transport, in recent years, Nghe An has received attention from the State in building a series of large-scale bridges over rivers and seas. However, the whole province still has hundreds of degraded bridges with weak structures and low load-bearing capacity.

Nghe An has also mobilized capital from central ministries, branches, project programs, and social organizations to gradually repair and rebuild weak bridges.