The Vietnam Road Administration responds to Nghe An Newspaper.

• March 31, 2015 20:01

(Baonghean.vn) - On March 31, 2015, Baonghean.vn received Official Letter No. 1490/TCĐBVN-QLBTĐB from the General Department of Roads of Vietnam (Ministry of Transport) responding to Baonghean.vn's report on damage to National Highway 1A in Nghe An province.

The content of the official letter is as follows:

"On March 21, 2015, Nghe An Newspaper (www.baonghean.vn) published an article titled 'Newly commissioned National Highway 1 already severely damaged,' and Tuoi Tre Online (www.tuoitre.vn) on March 24, 2015, published an article titled '5,500 billion VND road already sinking after completion.' Regarding these issues, the Vietnam Road Administration (VRA) would like to send the following information to your esteemed publications:

-It was observed that the road surface of the section from Km406+280 to Km406+315 on National Highway 1 (right lane) had been damaged since the beginning of March 2015. On March 17, 2015, the Road Management Sub-Department II.2 under the Road Management Department II sent two inspectors to work with the Director of the National Highway 1 Project Management Board 85. At the meeting, the parties determined that the cause of the damage to the above section was due to the impact of a traffic accident that occurred on December 24, 2014. Diesel fuel leaked onto the road surface and seeped into the asphalt concrete over time, causing the asphalt concrete to deteriorate and leading to damage to the section from Km406+280 to Km406+315 on National Highway 1 (half of the right lane). At the meeting, the Road Management Sub-Department II.2 requested the Project Management Board 85 to direct the contractor to immediately rectify the issues to ensure traffic safety. (A copy of the meeting minutes dated March 17, 2015 is attached.)

Immediately afterwards, on March 18, 2015, the Project Management Board 85, the supervising consultant, and the construction contractor held a meeting to agree on a repair measure: cutting off the damaged asphalt section and replacing it with new asphalt. However, at that time, the North Central region experienced drizzle, making it impossible to carry out the work (the humid weather prevented watering and asphalt bonding), thus affecting traffic safety as reported by Nghe An Newspaper and Tuoi Tre Online. Therefore, the handling of the matter was not as timely as desired by the public. Furthermore, the Road Management Sub-Department II.2 worked with the Project Management Board 85 but did not report promptly to the General Department of Roads of Vietnam to obtain information and receive timely guidance. Regarding this matter, the General Department of Roads of Vietnam is directing the Road Management Department II to temporarily suspend the Head of the Road Management Sub-Department II.2 for disciplinary review.

With favorable weather conditions in recent days, the Project Management Board 85 directed the contractor to repair the damaged section mentioned above, and the work was completed on the morning of March 29, 2015. Regarding the road surface subsidence, the General Department of Roads of Vietnam has issued a directive to all units to regularly monitor the situation. If the subsidence exceeds regulations and affects traffic safety, the relevant parties will be required to carry out repairs.

On this occasion, the Vietnam Road Administration would like to thank Nghe An Newspaper, Tuoi Tre Online Newspaper, Transport Newspaper, and other media outlets for their attention, monitoring, and articles reflecting the positive aspects and limitations of the road transport sector, enabling the road transport industry to strive to fulfill the tasks assigned by the Ministry of Transport and serve the people even better.”

Attached to document 1490/TCĐBVN-QLBTĐB are Decision No. 770/QD-CQLĐBII suspending Mr. Nguyen Viet Phuong, Head of the Road Management Sub-Department II.2, Road Management Department II, from March 27, 2015, pending an assessment of his involvement in the aforementioned article; Report No. 782/BC-CQLĐBII reporting on the handling of officials involved in the article; Minutes of the meeting on ensuring traffic safety on the road currently in operation; Minutes of the on-site inspection and agreement on the repair plan for the asphalt surface damaged by diesel oil spillage from Km406+280 to Km406+315.

The editorial board of Nghe An Newspaper would like to thank the General Department of Roads of Vietnam (Ministry of Transport) for its attention, handling, and timely response to the issues raised by Nghe An Newspaper.