Nghe An: Floodwaters cause cracks in National Highway 48E.
Heavy rains over the past few days have caused flooding on many national and provincial roads in Nghe An province, disrupting traffic. On National Highway 48, floodwaters have caused the road surface to crack.
Speaking with reporters from Nghe An Newspaper and Television on the morning of September 17th, Mr. Ho Anh Thang, Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Thang commune, said that prolonged heavy rain in the area had affected National Highway 48E, with the most serious damage occurring in the area around Khe Da Han bridge.
The Khe Da Han bridge, approximately 10 meters long, is located on National Highway 48E, connecting Nghia Dan district with Quynh Thang commune. During the recent heavy rains and floods, water from streams and upstream areas flowed rapidly, at times rising more than 1 meter, overflowing the bridge and sections of road on both sides.
The strong current directly eroded the roadbed, causing the asphalt concrete layer on the bridge surface and at both ends to peel, crack, and break into many large pieces. After the water receded, numerous cracks appeared on the road surface, extending both horizontally and vertically. In some places, the water had deeply eroded the underlying layer of crushed stone.
According to Mr. Thang, as soon as the incident was discovered, the local authorities coordinated with the road management unit to organize warnings, barricades, and temporarily control people and vehicles passing through the dangerous area. The road management unit also quickly arrived to inspect and assess the extent of the damage and implement a remediation plan.
“The rainfall decreased by the evening of September 16th, mostly just light rain. The Road Management Unit has mobilized machinery to temporarily repair damaged areas so that people and vehicles can pass over the bridge. However, the roadbed and surface eroded by water still need further reinforcement and repair to ensure long-term safety,” Mr. Thang said.
According to a preliminary report from the Road Maintenance Management Board of the Department of Construction, on September 16th, nine flooded locations causing traffic congestion were recorded on national and provincial roads under their management, including four points on national highways and five points on provincial roads.
On National Highway 48 passing through Dong Hieu commune, there are two locations flooded to a depth of approximately 0.4m; on National Highway 48E passing through Nghia Dan commune, there are two sections flooded to a depth of 0.4-0.5m. At these points, authorities have to organize control measures and temporarily close the road when necessary to ensure safety.
Notably, several provincial roads recorded high water levels. At the Xang Dau spillway, Km27+950 on provincial road 538 through Quynh Tam commune, the water level rose to approximately 1.7m; the spillway at Km25+250 on provincial road 544 through Hung Chan commune was flooded to about 1.3m. Provincial road 531B through Minh Hop commune had one location flooded to about 0.45m.
Traffic control and monitoring forces have been deployed in all deeply flooded areas. This is a necessary solution given that floodwaters may continue to rise rapidly, with strong currents posing a risk of sweeping away people and vehicles.
Given the situation, local authorities and traffic management units are continuing to monitor the developments of the rain and floods, inspecting roads, bridges, spillways, and locations at risk of landslides or damage. Upon detecting unsafe areas, the priority is to issue warnings, reroute traffic, or close the road, while simultaneously mobilizing forces and equipment to address the problem as quickly as possible.