Close-up of construction at the "never-sleeping" construction site Cam Lam - Vinh Hao

In mid-November 2023, the Cam Lam – Vinh Hao expressway project is rushing to complete the finishing stages. On the section from Km92+260 – Km134+00 implemented by Deo Ca, the contractor is rushing day and night to complete the final items.

Cam Lam - Vinh Hao Expressway is one of the three North - South Expressway projects in phase 1 implemented under the public-private partnership (PPP) method. The project is 78.5km long, passing through three provinces: Khanh Hoa (nearly 5km), Ninh Thuan (63km), Binh Thuan (nearly 12km), invested by the joint venture Deo Ca Group - Company 194.

On the section of the route constructed by Deo Ca, contractors mobilized 1,600 personnel, 600 pieces of equipment, organized 79 construction teams, and the volume has so far reached 84%. At the critical path items, contractors are implementing construction in 3 shifts/day and night to ensure progress.

At 6:00 a.m. at the North Gate of Vung Mountain Tunnel, the Management Board and construction teams held a shift handover meeting and started construction of the day shift. Vung Mountain Tunnel is 2.2 km long, has 3 lanes, and is 14 m wide. Upon completion, this will be the 4th longest tunnel in the country after Hai Van, Deo Ca and Cu Mong tunnels. Phase 1 only uses the right tunnel branch.

Vung Mountain Tunnel has been dug and cleared in 2 branches by Deo Ca Group since August 2023. At the right tunnel branch, the arch excavation work has reached 100%, the foundation excavation has reached more than 97%, the tunnel shell concrete has reached 70% and the road surface concrete has reached more than 22%.

At the same time as the excavation and concrete tunnel lining stages, in the sections where the concrete tunnel lining has been completed, the contractor will proceed to install tunnel equipment such as COD pipes, N2 pillar foundations (VMS), etc. The progress to date has reached more than 55%.

At 2:00 a.m., a group of engineers and workers were pouring concrete for the cable tray on the right branch of the tunnel.

Another construction team is installing the tunnel lining formwork for the expansion section. Previously, during the tunnel excavation process, the construction team from the South encountered a weak geological zone, which was different from the approved technical design documents, affecting the tunnel excavation progress. With experience in implementing many tunnel projects, the team of engineers and workers of Deo Ca Group has overcome the difficulties with technical measures, and at the same time accelerated the construction to 3 shifts/day and night to make up for the progress.

Regarding the road items, the main 29km section from Km92+260 – Km121+794 has completed the main stages. Drainage items such as box culverts, circular culverts, technical trenches and residential underpasses have achieved 100% progress.

Mr. Huynh Nhat Huy - Field Engineer of Deo Ca Group said that the weather in Ninh Thuan is quite harsh with hot and dry climate, low humidity causing many people to be "overwhelmed by the weather". "It took a long time for the team to adapt to the climate, but now the project is almost completed, many of the team members have been transferred to other projects, the rest have plans to transfer when their tasks are completed", Mr. Huy said.

At this time, the Ninh Thuan area is experiencing unpredictable sunshine and rain, which also affects the grading and asphalt paving work on the remaining access roads and main routes. The asphalt paving work is often interrupted by rain and requires time to wait for the ground to dry before continuing. The contractor is taking full advantage of sunny days to carry out this work.

As the rainy season approaches, ensuring labor safety and environmental sanitation is more important than ever. The management board continuously reminds and urges construction units to be vigilant and tighten labor safety measures, especially electrical safety and locations prone to landslides.

The production of traffic safety components such as median strips, soft guardrails, anti-glare nets, barbed wire fences, and B40 fences is guaranteed. The installation progress of these components is about 50%.

Regarding the bridge section, on the route implemented by Deo Ca, there are a total of 21 bridges with a total length of nearly 4km, contractors are deploying 27 bridge construction points. Up to now, the bridge items have completed the installation of girders and bridge decks and are carrying out the finishing stages.

At Tra Van 2 bridge, a team is constructing flexible piers.

The construction items on the main route are following the technical traffic opening schedule at the end of December 2023, completing the road and bridge works before March 30, 2024. The contractor is also speeding up the construction progress, completing the Nui Vung tunnel item before April 30, 2024 as committed.

Lam Tra - The Son