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| Efforts were being made to overcome landslides and clear one lane of traffic on the entire section of the Ho Chi Minh Highway passing through the city |
Ensuring traffic safety
Heavy rains, lasting for many days, have not only caused flooding in low-lying and delta areas, but also severely damaged the traffic system across the city. From national and provincial roads to the roads in mountainous and delta communes, many sections have suffered landslides, traffic cuts, peeled road surfaces, and a high density of potholes and sinkholes, significantly impacting people's travel activity and the transport of goods.
In recent days, the surface of the National Highway 1A from Km 840+400 to Km 848+875, passing through the city's communes and wards, has shown many spots where the road surface has been peeled off, forming small holes. Given the extremely high traffic density and the floods, these peeled spots, potholes, and sinkholes are continuously spreading, creating “traps” on the road, threatening the safety of people and vehicles.
The maintenance unit for this section of the national highway, Trung Phuong Co., Ltd., is facing many difficulties as they are both operating and repairing the road simultaneously under the unfavorable weather. Observations at the La Son intersection, at the junction of the National Highway 1A and the La Son - Nam Dong road in Hung Loc commune, show that the road surface is riddled with uneven potholes and sinkholes, forming puddles. Vehicles constantly stopping at red lights, or braking suddenly due to the poor road surface have made the traffic situation very complex.
Mr. Ho Ngoc Kiet, a maintenance technician from Trung Phuong Co., Ltd., stated that over the past few days, the unit has continuously conducted surveys and deployed personnel and materials to patch the road at four major damaged spots, and many minor damaged spots along the National Highway 1A from Km 840+400 to Km 848+875. The maintenance unit will treat the surface and patch the asphalt concrete to ensure smooth traffic flow temporarily. In the long term, when the weather improves, they will mill and resurface the asphalt to ensure traffic safety.
Similarly, at Km 50+70 and Km 50+700 on National Highway 49, the road maintenance unit is also urgently addressing issues to prevent landslide from eroding half of the road, focusing on clearing the left side of the route, diverting water to the longitudinal ditch, and preventing water from flowing across the road.
Efforts to clear the routes
Historic and prolonged rainfall in the former A Luoi mountainous area caused hundreds of severe landslides and flooding spots along the Western branch of the Ho Chi Minh Highway passing through the city. Thanks to the efforts of the transport sector and the road management unit, only 11 upslope landslide spots remain in the A Luoi area, still blocking traffic and preventing full access. These spots are expected to be cleared for one lane of traffic starting from November 6 to allow the transport of materials and machinery to access and continue the repair of the damaged spots; and the units are to inspect damage to the roads and bridges in the remote areas along the Ho Chi Minh Highway.
According to Thua Thien Hue Road Management and Construction Joint Stock Company, the landslide on the uphill slope on the Western branch of the Ho Chi Minh Highway passing through the city is very serious, involving 355,000m3/140 spots, and the landslide on the downhill slope has a total length of 259m at 12 spots. To date, 11 locations remain blocked and uncleared. Some locations, such as the location at Km 366+150, have been blocked since October 28, and have been cleared four times but continue to be blocked again. Currently, forces are working hard to reopen this section. The remaining 11 blocked locations, including Km 385+900, Km 386+040, Km 386+300, Km 386+780, Km 389+150, Km 391+700, Km 392+500, Km 407+460, Km 407+950, Km 408+040, and Km 408+350 on the Western branch of the Ho Chi Minh Highway, are expected to be cleared on November 6.
Thua Thien Hue Road Management and Construction Joint Stock Company stated that at all critical locations affected by flooding and upslope landslide that have blocked the route, the company has deployed personnel to be on duty, divert traffic, and install warning barrier systems. However, there are still some difficulties, such as landslide cutting off traffic, preventing motorized vehicles from reaching the site. The terrain in the affected area is fractured and the soil is weak, posing a high risk of further landslides and safety hazards for personnel and equipment involved in the recovery effort. The large volume of water and strong currents are causing erosion, washing away soil and rock, leading to upslope landslides at many spots, which hinders temporary reinforcement and repair.
In the former Nam Dong mountainous area, heavy rain also damaged three large bridges, causing abutment collapses. Additionally, many bridges and culverts have been eroded to varying degrees. Following an inspection by Mr. Phan Thien Dinh, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the City People's Committee, Khe Tre Commune coordinated with the Ho Chi Minh Highway Project Management Board to open a temporary road to the expressway to allow people to travel as the Phu Mau bridge abutment remains collapsed.
Mr. Duong Thanh Phuoc, Chairman of the People's Committee of Khe Tre Commune, stated that Provincial Road 14B is an arterial route connecting Khe Tre to Hue City center. The collapse of the Phu Mau Bridge on this provincial road has caused difficulties for people in the former Nam Dong area. Currently, the Ho Chi Minh Highway Project Management Board has opened a temporary road, and laid crushed stone aggregate for people to travel temporarily. The functional agencies are also assessing the extent of the damage to build a long-term recovery plan.
The Road Management Area II reported that it has been coordinating with local maintenance units to implement post-disaster recovery efforts. The work to clear the routes is being deployed simultaneously at all landslide spots on the Western branch of the Ho Chi Minh Highway. Immediately after the upslope landslide incidents that caused road congestion, the Road Management Area II directed the maintenance and management units to regularly arrange sufficient warning signs, barriers, and warnings, and to organize guards for traffic diversion… At the same time, it directed the managing unit to mobilize machinery, equipment, and personnel to promptly clear fallen soil, rock, and mud from the road surface to ensure smooth traffic flow, as well as coordinating with traffic police and local functional forces to divert traffic from a distance to help vehicles on the route travel safely and conveniently.