Addressing issues arising after the operation of the Dien Chau - Bai Vot expressway.
From July 1st, 2024, over 50 km of the North-South Expressway, specifically the Dien Chau - Bai Vot section, officially came into operation. However, due to some unforeseen issues, the connecting sections between the expressway's service roads and local roads are still under construction.
Lack of drainage ditches and streetlights.
These days, along the parallel service roads on both sides of the North-South Expressway, from the Dien Cat intersection (Dien Chau) to Nghi Phuong (Nghi Loc) and from Hung Tay to the north of the Hung Duc bridge (Hung Nguyen), many machines are actively working. Workers are striving to complete the connection between local roads and the service roads, as well as the underpasses on both sides of the expressway.
Representatives from the Economic and Infrastructure Departments of Dien Chau and Nghi Loc districts shared with us: After the expressway became operational, contractors are now working to complete the construction of access roads and connecting roads for local residents. Some problems have begun to arise, such as the relatively high elevation of the expressway and its access roads, while the local access roads are lower, making it difficult for residents living along the expressway to access and exit. In addition, some sections connecting the access roads and local roads lack drainage ditches and irrigation canals, resulting in localized flooding or a lack of water for agricultural production during heavy rains.
On the other hand, some residential areas, particularly Hamlet 5 in Nghi Phuong commune (Nghi Loc district), have about 700 meters of road running parallel to the highway fence without a service road, forcing residents to travel quite a distance to the underpass. Mr. Hoang Trung Thong, Chairman of the Nghi Phuong Commune People's Committee, said: "The Commune People's Committee has submitted a request to the construction unit, Truong Son 185 Company, regarding this issue... Another problem is that after the overpass on National Highway 48E was completed, it lacked a lighting system, and especially the area under the bridge, where people and vehicles pass, is quite dangerous at night."
Mr. Thai Ba The, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dien Phu commune (Dien Chau district), also shared: According to the design, the project only built drainage ditches for both sides of the expressway leading to Xuan Duong lake, but has not yet built drainage ditches for the access roads or culverts when connecting to residential areas. Therefore, every time there is heavy rain, it causes localized flooding in some production areas. In particular, five households in Hamlet 4 experienced flooding in their homes during the recent heavy rains. The People's Committee of the commune has reported to the People's Committee of the district and requested the contractor to find solutions to rectify the problem as soon as possible.
In addition to the aforementioned shortcomings, on June 21, 2024, in Hung Nguyen district, the remaining 19 km of the newly completed Dien Chau - Bai Vot expressway encountered numerous problems that are only now beginning to be addressed. Many communes and towns have requested the construction of connecting access roads with local roads and drainage culverts.
Handle emerging issues flexibly and promptly.
Arising from practical needs and based on recommendations from voters and localities through which the expressway passes, on June 21, 2024, the People's Committee of Nghe An province sent Document No. 5192/UBND-KT to the Ministry of Transport to direct the consideration of solutions to address the shortcomings arising after the operation of the Dien Chau - Bai Vot section of the North-South expressway.
Also in Document No. 5192/UBND-KT dated June 21, 2024, of the Provincial People's Committee, along with the preliminary report on the Dien Chau-Bai Vot section of the North-South Expressway, the Provincial People's Committee compiled 32 accompanying opinions, including 5 from Dien Chau, 4 from Nghi Loc, and 23 from Hung Nguyen, regarding new shortcomings arising after the expressway's operation. The recommendations from the localities focused on two groups: Group 1 included construction items in the design that were not completed or were completed but were not reasonable, resulting in shortcomings that needed to be supplemented and modified; Group 2 included some additional items not included in the design.
The connecting sections from the Dien Cat commune intersection (Dien Chau district) to Hung Tay commune (Hung Nguyen district) were completed before April 30th, so there are few obstacles. However, the section from Hung Tay commune to Hung Duc bridge still has many new items that have only just begun. Regarding the expressway section through Dien Chau, due to upcoming land clearance for the VSIP Nghe An 2 Industrial Park infrastructure construction, some items have arisen. However, construction now would be wasteful if land is cleared later, so the relevant parties are considering alternative solutions.
A representative from Hoa Hiep Co., Ltd., one of the contractors for the expressway, stated: After the expressway is completed, each unit is assigning its members to complete the infrastructure connecting to local communities, striving to finish them basically by September 2nd, 2024.
Regarding solutions to address shortcomings arising after the operation of the Dien Chau - Bai Vot expressway, for minor items included in the design and with a budget of 1 billion VND or less, each contractor can consider and adjust the construction budget if reasonable and necessary. If the items arise outside the design and the investment exceeds 1 billion VND, the investor, Project Management Board 6 of the Ministry of Transport, must be consulted and decided upon.
Currently, some low-cost, additional items such as the installation of drainage culverts across the connecting section between the expressway access road and local roads in Dien Cat, Dien Loi, and Dien Phu communes (Dien Chau district) have been implemented quite actively. A contractor at the Dien Cat commune access road construction site said that to reduce the slope connecting to the local road, the contractor had to allocate a considerable amount of additional funds, but the unit accepted the cost and completed the work quickly.
For public works and projects not included in the design and incurring significant additional costs, the Provincial People's Committee has submitted a report to the Ministry of Transport and Project Management Board 6. In the near future, based on the directives of the Ministry of Transport, the relevant units will prepare supplementary investment projects for submission to the competent authorities for approval.
During working sessions with leaders of the Provincial People's Committee and localities through which the expressway passes, representatives of Project Management Board 6, Ministry of Transport, stated that: Items arising outside the design and with significant investment costs that increase the total project investment must be reviewed and submitted to the Ministry and the Government. Therefore, they requested the localities' understanding and, if approved, will allow for quick adjustments and additions.
Speaking with us, Mr. Le Manh Hien, Vice Chairman of the Dien Chau District People's Committee, said: "The North-South Expressway project is a public-private partnership (PPP) project, so adjusting and supplementing to address emerging issues is more difficult. The district's stance is that when the contractors complete the connecting sections for local residents, we will sign the handover documents for the expressway." Meanwhile, Mr. Hoang Anh Tien, Vice Chairman of the Hung Nguyen District People's Committee, also stated that the district has facilitated and coordinated with contractors to ensure smooth construction of connecting sections, and requested that contractors prioritize allocating resources and equipment to promptly address any bottlenecks before the rainy season.
