Checking the 'health' of Ben Thuy 1 bridge
Due to the rapid flow of the river, Road Management Area 2 had to hire experts and divers to use flashlights and underwater cameras to take photos and record videos for storage. The inspection process showed that this bridge connecting Nghe An and Ha Tinh is still safe.
On September 17, Mr. Nguyen Duc Dung - Deputy Director of Road Management Area 2 (Vietnam Road Administration) said that the unit has just coordinated with relevant agencies to carry out inspections.Ben Thuy Bridge 1across the Lam River on National Highway 1A (connecting Ha Tinh and Nghe An). “This is a regular job of the unit, especially during the rainy and stormy season. In addition to Ben Thuy 1 Bridge, we also inspect many other bridges in the area,” said Mr. Dung.
Ben Thuy 1 Bridge was put into operation in 1990, with a large traffic volume, while the flood water flow rate under Lam River is very strong. Ben Thuy 1 Bridge is 630.5m long, 12m wide with 13 spans. Over a long period of use, the bridge has been repaired many times.
According to the leader of Road Management Area 2, this bridge has been inspected for riverbed erosion, local erosion of abutments, piers, and the bottom of the pier foundation, pile connection to the bottom of the pier, and pile damage. In addition, the professional agency also inspected the current status of the intermediate part between the bridge abutments, span structures, load-bearing structures, etc.
Due to the rapid flow of the river, Road Management Area 2 had to hire experts and divers to use flashlights and underwater cameras to take photos and record videos for storage. The inspection process showed that Ben Thuy 1 Bridge is still safe.
"However, to know exactly the level of corrosion and degradation of the bridge, we must ask experts in bridge and road construction to assess and make a treatment plan," said Mr. Dung.
According to Mr. Dung, Ben Thuy 1 bridge has a similar structure to Phong Chau bridge, the steel pile system of the previous bridge has signs of corrosion, the bridge location is in the tidal range, so this unit has requested the Vinh City Bypass BOT Branch (under Cienco 4 Group, which operates, manages and maintains the bridge) to develop a plan, estimate the cost of overall inspection, assess the safety of the bridge, and propose a plan to repair and reinforce the bridge and report to the Vietnam Road Administration before September 25.
"In the coming time, we will continue to direct relevant units to inspect all bridges on the route located in areas frequently affected by erosion and changes in flow such as: areas with sand mining upstream and downstream of the bridge; areas directly affected by flood discharge from hydroelectric dams; mountainous areas with flash floods and flash floods. After surveying and measuring against the completion records, the bridge management units will propose a solution if the bridge is found to have structural damage to the pier, piles, pile connections or unusual erosion compared to the original status," he added.
After the collapse of Phong Chau bridge (Phu Tho), to ensure traffic safety and construction safety, on September 12, the Vietnam Road Administration sent a document to the Department of Transport of the provinces affected by storm Yagi and related units, requesting urgent implementation of review, inspection and safety assessment of bridge constructions under their management.
The subjects of review and inspection are large bridge works; bridges with special structures; bridges over seas; weak bridges; bridges with insufficient drainage apertures; bridges built a long time ago; eroded bridges; bridges on rivers and streams with changed flow, affected by material exploitation; bridges with incidents (affected by flood water; drifting trees; watercraft and architectural structures colliding, drifting, getting stuck;...); bridges with shallow foundations/driven pile foundations; bridges that have been/are being damaged or are likely to be damaged... In particular, special attention should be paid to the structures of bridge piers, piers and structures that are easily affected by changes in flow, erosion, material exploitation, flood water, watercraft colliding, drifting and getting stuck.
The Vietnam Road Administration requires that minor damages must be detected and repaired promptly to limit damage that affects other structures of the project. During the review and inspection process, if an emergency situation that affects the safety of the project is discovered, it is necessary to take immediate remedial measures and report to the competent authority to promptly have a plan to ensure the safety of the project and traffic safety. After completing this review and inspection, it is necessary to report to the competent authority to propose immediate and long-term solutions to overcome the causes affecting the safety of the bridge project.