Clear the roads and remove obstacles for the people.

(Baonghean) - At the headwaters of the Nam Non and Nam Mo rivers, a new road connecting the western regions has been built, creating opportunities for the Thai, Mong, and Khmu ethnic groups in Tuong Duong, Ky Son, and Que Phong districts to develop their economy and exchange cultures. The road is currently being completed urgently, opening up many opportunities.develop…

The contract includes the transportation of raw materials by river.

From Muong Xen town (Ky Son district), we joined a delegation led by Mr. Huynh Thanh Dien - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee and Mr. Nguyen Hong Ky - Director of the Department of Transport, to inspect the progress of the Western Nghe An Road construction project. The newly paved road winds through the mist and clouds amidst the border mountains and forests, with many villages scattered along the mountain slopes, featuring peaceful stilt houses and fields. The car passed through the "heavenly gate" and then descended to My Ly commune (Ky Son district). From here, the paved road ends and reaches the unfinished section, the car swaying and crawling over the winding slopes. We stopped at Xop Tu village, My Ly commune, where the contract is being handled by Hoa Hiep Company Limited. The section near Xop Tu village is under construction, but due to the treacherous terrain, landslides are constantly covering the road surface. Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Huynh Thanh Dien personally inspected the site and instructed the Traffic Management Board (Department of Transport) and the construction unit to urgently address the landslide to ensure smooth traffic flow for the people.

Mr. Pham Chien Huu, Deputy Director of Hoa Hiep Co., Ltd., promised provincial leaders that within the next 10 days, the company would concentrate its equipment and resources to complete the landslide remediation. Regarding the remaining two packages on the route, the company has completed and handed over package number 9, from Km 189 to Km 209, worth over 84 billion VND; and package number 6, from Km 157 to Km 161, the section in Xop Tu village, My Ly commune, with the roadbed completed. The total value of this package is over 100 billion VND, with construction value exceeding 62 billion VND and disbursed funds exceeding 59 billion VND.

Upon reaching the Pén stream section in Nhôn Mai commune (Tương Dương district), the inspection team checked the contract of Company 36, covering the section from Km 146+283 to Km 152. This contract currently has only 9 out of 33 culverts and 1 out of 6 retaining walls installed, and construction is currently halted. The contract value is over 68 billion VND, with over 31 billion VND already completed. Mr. Nguyễn Hồng Kỳ, Director of the Department of Transport, affirmed: “We will inspect and review the contractors. If any contractor lacks the necessary capacity, we are ready to terminate the contract and replace them with another contractor. During the previous progress inspection, we terminated contracts with two construction units.”

Continuing to traverse the rugged, rocky roads, workers above are clinging to the cliff face to drill through the rock. Overcoming the difficulties of the terrain, the North Central Construction and Transportation Investment Joint Stock Company has completed the roadbed, constructed over 500 cubic meters of retaining walls and several sections of longitudinal drainage ditches, with the construction volume reaching nearly 35/56 billion VND. The company is striving to complete the asphalt paving before September 30, 2015.

Construction of the embankment along the Nậm Nơn River is underway.

The further we went, the muddier the road became, with cars covered in mud inching forward, their engines revving as they climbed the slope to the section under construction for asphalt paving. Mr. Chu Van Chanh, the construction team leader of Tan Nam Construction Joint Stock Company, who was supervising the workers paving the road, told us: "This project is located in a particularly difficult area, half of it in Xoi Voi village, Tri Le commune (Que Phong district), and the other half in Nhon Mai commune (Tuong Duong district). The initial stages of construction were arduous; the dense, treacherous forests made it difficult to locate the boundary markers, and the surveying team sometimes got lost in the woods. Taking advantage of dry weather, the entire construction site worked overtime and in shifts, sometimes working through the night to meet the planned schedule. The most difficult part was transporting raw materials, cement, sand, stone, and asphalt, because the storage locations for these materials are nearly 30 km from the construction site." The steep slopes and deep ravines require vehicles to be loaded to half their weight to reach the construction site, resulting in high costs. Over 60% of the cost for the entire 7 km route is dedicated to rock excavation and road construction. The total project value exceeds 123 billion VND, with nearly 100 billion VND worth of work already completed. Specifically, 2.2 km of the road has been opened and paved with asphalt, and three bridges and the retaining wall system have been completed.

The Western Nghe An Highway is a crucial ring road for socio-economic development and national defense and security. The total length of the route is 186 km, passing through three districts: Ky Son, Tuong Duong, and Que Phong. Currently, 78 km and 25 bridges have been completed and handed over in Phase I. Phase II involves asphalt paving on 43/106 km and opening 10/16 bridges to traffic. Due to funding constraints, Phase II will only cover 76/106 km of asphalt paving, with the remaining 30 km being reduced to focus on other project components along the route. The total investment for both phases is 2,100 billion VND. As of the end of October 2014, 1,400 billion VND had been allocated. Following on-site inspections, the Traffic Construction Management Board (Department of Transport) has recommended to the Provincial People's Committee that appropriate funding be allocated to pay off all debts to contractors, and that the remaining funds be allocated for the construction unit to continue completing the remaining items. In addition, they requested an extension of the deadline for the two contract packages until the end of March 2015. The department also requested that the Provincial People's Committee direct the Que Phong District People's Committee to resolve the issues faced by 11 households in San village, Tri Le commune.

The Director of the Department of Transport added: “The department is urgently urging construction units to strive to complete the bridges and culverts by March 30, 2015, ensuring convenient travel for people along the route. The entire route is expected to be completed by June 30, 2015. The Western Nghe An road will later be proposed to be upgraded to a national highway connecting with the Northwest provinces to create momentum for socio-economic development...”

Van Truong