Identifying the 'death bridges' in Nghe An

A typical example is the Ba Ba bridge, which crosses the Vach Bac river between Gia My and Xuan Lai hamlets in Do Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district. Built in 1980, the bridge is now severely dilapidated, posing a significant safety risk to local residents.

Observations reveal that many sections of the bridge's abutments and deck are cracked, creating wide gaps. Particularly along the bridge's railing, there are three broken sections, each 2-3 meters long, with some sections hanging precariously over the river. Meanwhile, a significant amount of traffic passes through this area daily, especially during rush hour.

Ms. Tran Thi Minh from Gia My hamlet, Do Thanh commune, said: "The scariest thing is when traveling at night, as many sections of the bridge's protective railings are broken, meaning people could fall into the canal at any time. In fact, there have been several cases of people and vehicles falling into the river, but fortunately, there haven't been any tragic casualties. The people are eagerly awaiting the construction of a new bridge for safer and more convenient travel."

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

Similarly, the Hoa Thanh town bridge in Yen Thanh district, spanning the Dinh River, was built decades ago and serves as an important transportation hub connecting the urban area of ​​Yen Thanh district. Currently, the local authorities have placed warning signs indicating the bridge is weak and vehicles should limit their load capacity.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Sang, Deputy Head of the Economic and Infrastructure Department of Yen Thanh District, added: From 2021 to the present, Yen Thanh District has upgraded and built 5 key bridges, including Dong Ruong Bridge in Long Thanh Commune; Bau Dai Bridge in Lang Thanh Commune; Van Tu Bridge in Van Tu Commune…

Currently, there are still over 10 bridges in the district that are weak and severely degraded, affecting transportation and posing a traffic safety hazard, including: Sa Tran Bridge in Van Tu commune; Long Nhan Bridge and Yen Moi Bridge in Long Thanh commune; Ba Ba Bridge in Do Thanh commune, etc.

Yen Thanh District is reviewing weak bridges and submitting requests to relevant departments for funding from programs, projects, and state investment funds to replace the old bridges, thereby facilitating convenient travel for the people.

Similarly, the Nghi Trung bridge in Nghi Trung commune, Nghi Loc district, built in 1990, connects neighboring communes but has also deteriorated. Observations at this bridge show that most of the railings are broken, exposing the steel reinforcement. The bridge surface has peeled off, while the volume of traffic crossing this bridge is quite high.

According to the Department of Transport, in recent years, Nghe An province has received attention from the State in constructing a series of large-scale bridges over rivers and seas. However, currently, the entire province still has hundreds of dilapidated bridges used by local residents, with weak structures and low load-bearing capacity.

Nghe An province has also taken advantage of funding from central ministries and agencies, programs and projects, and social organizations to gradually repair, build new, and replace weak bridges.