Some sections and highways have potential traffic safety risks due to the lack of hard dividers and emergency lanes, inadequate lighting, and limited visibility.
In a recent report sent to the Ministry of Transport regarding 11 component projects of the North-South Expressway in the 2017-2021 period and other expressways, the Ministry of Public Security said that there were 7 sections and expressways that did not meet safety standards, resulting in many collisions and particularly serious traffic accidents, especially on some newly put into operation routes.
Specifically, the expressways Cao Bo - Mai Son, Mai Son - National Highway 45, Nha Trang - Cam Lam, Trung Luong - My Thuan, Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet have four lanes, a median strip but no emergency lane, and an emergency stop every 4-5 km.
Cam Lo - La Son and La Son - Tuy Loan expressways have only two lanes and do not meet expressway standards.
The new Cam Lo - La Son Expressway has two lanes in phase 1. Photo: Vo Thanh.
Regarding traffic organization on the routes, the Ministry of Public Security said that there are still many unreasonable things such as the wire mesh fence is not closed so people can still walk, drive motorbikes, three-wheelers and livestock on the highway. Specifically, the highways Hanoi - Thai Nguyen, Hanoi - Lao Cai, Trung Luong - My Thuan, Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet - Dau Giay.
In addition, the Nha Trang - Cam Lam expressway is under construction while being exploited, causing dust that obstructs and obscures the driver's vision. Some expressways after exploitation have degraded, rutted, and pose potential traffic safety risks but are slow to be repaired, such as: Noi Bai - Lao Cai, Hanoi - Thai Nguyen, La Son - Cam Lo section.
Particularly, after a long period of operation, although traffic volume has increased, the Yen Bai - Lao Cai section has not been invested in expanding to 4-6 lanes as planned.
Based on the above situation, the Ministry of Public Security proposed that the Ministry of Transport have a specific roadmap to upgrade and renovate 7 expressways that do not meet highway safety standards; and to build a traffic management and operation center for the routes in operation.
For routes where surveillance cameras have been installed, the Ministry of Public Security recommends a plan to connect to the Traffic Police Department's Command Information Center; coordinate the exploitation of the camera system to serve monitoring, ensure traffic order and safety, and handle violations through images and complex situations.
Regarding the above shortcomings, the representative of the Ministry of Transport explained that due to the difficult budget and limited social resources, the 11 expressways built in the 2017-2021 period were all invested in phases. The first phase must be built with a limited scale of two lanes or four lanes (no emergency lanes but emergency stops), and when there is capital, the expansion will continue.
Associate Professor Tran Chung, Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Road Traffic Construction Investors (VARSI), also assessed that after a short period of operation, the limited four-lane expressways have revealed shortcomings and risks of traffic safety. The reason is that some routes have a rapid increase in traffic volume, exceeding the forecast capacity.
"If the forecast is correct that traffic volume will increase in a short period of time, the government can arrange capital for full-scale road investment instead of more costly investment phases," Mr. Chung said.
Currently, localities where expressways pass through such as Cao Bo - Mai Son, Trung Luong - My Thuan (four limited lanes), Cam Lo - La Son, La Son - Tuy Loan (two lanes) have proposed the Ministry of Transport to expand 4-6 complete lanes due to increased traffic and synchronization with neighboring expressways.
The government has directed the construction of at least four-lane highways, and requested the Ministry of Transport to study the expansion of two-lane highways to four lanes.
Source link
Comment (0)