Difficulties in the construction of Van Don - Mong Cai Expressway need to be resolved soon

Van Don - Mong Cai Expressway ( section from Van Don International Airport to Binh Dan commune intersection, Van Don district) Construction started in 2022, has been extended once, but the construction progress is still slow, it is unlikely to be completed before December 31 according to the decision approving the adjustment of the project implementation time.

The contractor carries out the K95 and K98 embankment on the route. Photo: Manh Truong — The contractor carries out the K95 and K98 embankment on the route.

The Van Don - Mong Cai expressway feeder road project from Van Don International Airport to Binh Dan commune intersection is over 8km long, passing through 3 communes: Doan Ket, Binh Dan and Dai Xuyen. The road is designed according to Group B project, level IV traffic works, with a total investment of nearly 198 billion VND.

Before the Van Don - Mong Cai expressway, people in 3 communes (Doan Ket, Binh Dan and Dai Xuyen (Van Don district) had a common road to travel and trade goods with the central area of Van Don district and neighboring districts, towns and cities. However, when the expressway was invested in and built, this route was divided, with the first section of the route becoming a bottleneck, the road surface was only about 4m wide, two cars could not avoid each other, causing difficulties for people in the area to travel. Since then, the Van Don - Mong Cai expressway feeder road, the section from Van Don International Airport to Binh Dan commune intersection was invested in and built, meeting the people's expectations.

To implement the project, there were many difficulties. Among them, there were difficulties in site clearance due to the lack of consensus from the people and some areas of mangrove forest that needed to be submitted to many relevant levels, ministries and branches. Although the project was implemented from 2022, it was not until September 2024 that the site clearance was completed. In addition, the construction measures and plans on the route were not consistent and synchronous among the contractors.

The contractor is urgently excavating and lowering the roadbed at the end of the route. — The contractor excavated and lowered the roadbed at the end of the route.

Mr. Nguyen Cao Lam, Synchronous Design Consulting Joint Stock Company (supervisory unit), said: Because the project was approved for excavation and embankment balance, all the soil source for the hill leveling was used for the embankment on the route. All the soil and rock at the end of the route were transported within the project to the middle of the route and the beginning of the route for leveling. The problem here is that the middle section of the route constructed by Quang Thao Construction Joint Stock Company is in the stage of spreading crushed stone, so this unit does not allow Bach Dang Construction Corporation - JSC (the contractor for the first section of the route) to transport soil and rock for leveling, leading to difficulties in the construction process of the first section of the route.

To resolve this situation, the consulting unit has sent a document requesting Quang Thao Construction Joint Stock Company, after finishing spreading crushed stone, during the rolling process, not to be allowed to block the road for transporting soil and rock for leveling and gathering crushed stone materials of the contractor Bach Dang Construction Corporation - JSC towards the beginning of the route. However, the two units have not yet agreed on the content to ensure the smooth implementation of construction work on the entire route. Since then, up to now, only the contractor (GMC Development Investment Joint Stock Company) constructing the final section of the route has ensured the proposed progress. The remaining construction progress of the first and middle sections of the route has not met the set schedule, especially the first section of the route has only completed 15/19 culverts, the volume of roadbed excavation has reached 80% of the volume, K95 embankment has reached 80% of the volume, K98 embankment has reached 25% of the volume, rubble stone construction of the slope has reached 12% of the volume, the payment value in 2024 has reached about 20%.

The first section of the route still has about 60,000m3 of K95 and K98 embankment that has not been constructed.

With the developments and results of the implementation at the construction site, it is certain that by the end of 2024, this road project will hardly be completed according to the set schedule. Failure to complete the project on schedule will affect the disbursement rate of public investment capital of the province, not effectively promote investment resources, and hinder the socio-economic development of the people in the area.

During the inspection and working session in Van Don district on November 12, regarding the implementation of public investment projects, Mr. Vu Van Dien, Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, agreed not to extend the implementation time of the Van Don - Mong Cai expressway project and must ensure the project is completed in 2024.

To ensure the set goals, the investor (Provincial Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board) must be strict, requiring contractors to coordinate closely and support each other during the construction process on the route; supplement technical equipment and machinery, take advantage of the dry weather to work overtime and increase construction shifts. The Party Committee, government, Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations of Binh Dan commune (Van Don) participate in supporting, propagating and mobilizing people to temporarily overcome immediate difficulties, creating conditions for contractors to construct on the route, and soon put the project into use.

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