'Racing' to the finish line of Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang highway

"Racing" against time

Component 1 project passing through An Giang is implemented in 4 packages. Package 42 is the construction and installation of the section from Km0+314 to Km17+240 (in Chau Doc City), nearly 17km long, with a total of 7 river bridges, 2 underpasses, and 40 culverts of various types. The contractor is the Joint Venture of Truong Son Construction Corporation - Construction Equipment and Materials Joint Stock Company 624. Currently, the unit is implementing the construction of sand filling on the main roadbed, constructing CDM piles, installing vertical and horizontal drains on the route, and installing Vinh Tre bridge girders... the output has reached about 42.06% (on schedule and contract value).

Package No. 43 is for construction and installation of the section from Km17+240 to Km31+280 (extending from Chau Phu district to Chau Thanh district), with a total length of 14km; construction of a total of 8 bridges and 27 culverts. The contractor is the joint venture of Phuong Thanh Transport Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company - Hai Dang Joint Stock Company, which has completed about 45.69% (exceeding about 0.15% of the contract value). Mr. Duong Duy Long (Construction Manager) informed: "We have gathered hundreds of equipment at the construction site, ready to wait for construction when receiving the source of materials, determined to receive all allocated output in a timely manner, and complete the construction as soon as possible".

Package No. 44 is for construction and installation of the section from Km31+280 to Km43+500 (from Chau Thanh district to Thoai Son district), 12.2km long; construction of a total of 9 bridges over the river, 13 culverts, by the Joint Venture of Joint Stock Company 471 - Thanh Huy Group Joint Stock Company - Dai Phong Infrastructure Construction Joint Stock Company. The implementing units have achieved about 57.5% (exceeding 1.01%) of the contract value. This is the package with the most progress. Package No. 45 is for construction and installation of the section from Km43+500 to the end of the route of Component Project 1 (from Thoai Son district to Vinh Thanh district, Can Tho city), 13.8km long, construction of a total of 9 bridges, 23 culverts, by the Joint Venture of Tan Nam Construction Joint Stock Company, Construction Corporation No. 1 - JSC, Thanh An Corporation. Actual output reached about 45% (exceeding about 0.1% of contract value).

On March 20, the Provincial Project Management Board requested the design consultant and design - estimate consultant to proactively study solutions to shorten the time for handling weak soil to move to the construction phase of completing the foundation and road surface to ensure shortening the construction progress. The consulting contractor prepares bidding documents, evaluates bidding documents, advises on the appraisal of bidding documents, and results of contractor selection for bid packages related to the resettlement area construction item (new location) to urgently complete the E-HSDT evaluation procedure, appraise the contractor selection results, and promptly start construction in March 2025. The main construction contractor urgently reviews, proactively contacts to sign material purchase and sale contracts, and gathers materials to the project to implement the construction items. If there are difficulties or problems during the reception process, they must proactively coordinate to handle them, and request competent authorities to guide and resolve them; Increase the mobilization of machinery, equipment, labor teams, and construction teams, by all reasonable and legal measures and solutions to speed up construction progress.

Urgently find material sources

According to Dinh Van To, Deputy Director of the An Giang Provincial Project Management Board, the site clearance work has been completed and the construction phase has begun. Therefore, the biggest concern is ensuring the source of materials for the project. Sand suppliers have provided Component 1 with nearly 3.5 million ^m3 (out of a total volume of more than 9.3 million ^m3 of sand needed for the project. In 2025, the sand demand for the project will be more than 5.8 million ^m3 to meet the progress of completing the work of sand loading and weak soil treatment according to the project implementation schedule (August 2025). In total, the daily demand is about 40,400 ^m3 . The volume of sand that has not been sourced is nearly 3 million ^m3 (of which, it is expected to identify the source of exploitation of about 1.5 million m3, from the sand mine on Hau River in My Quy and My Thoi wards (Long Xuyen city) and Hoa Binh commune (Cho Moi district), which is being surveyed and explored). In addition, there are still 3 sand mines that have been temporarily suspended from exploitation, greatly affecting the volume of sand gathered for the project.

To achieve the approved progress of the Expressway Project Component 1, up to now, about 8.4 million ^m3 is needed, up to now, only 6.3 million ^m3 has been arranged; the volume gathered at the project is only 3.5 million ^m3 (short of nearly 5 million ^m3 ). The current allocated reserves and exploitation capacity greatly affect the completion time of embankment, loading and unloading, making it longer than planned. If the sand material source is not urgently arranged, the sand supply progress will not meet the requirements, leading to the risk of not completing the project on schedule.

The source of stone materials is also a matter of close concern. On February 18, 2025, the Provincial People's Committee issued a mineral exploitation license (extension) for An Giang Construction Materials Exploitation and Processing Joint Venture Company Limited to continue exploiting stone minerals as common construction materials at the Dai Mountain andesite quarry, Chau Lang commune and Luong Phi commune (Tri Ton district). To achieve the approved progress of the Expressway Project Component 1 (bridge, culvert, and bridgehead granular material embankment), about 553,663m3 ^of stone is needed. However, to date, only about 347,912m3 of items have been gathered and completed (not meeting the planned gathering of ^{205,751m3 )} .

Faced with the urgent need for sand and stone supplies to serve the project, the Provincial Project Management Board requested the specialized sector to advise the Provincial People's Committee to develop a plan to reasonably arrange supplies, ensuring supply reserves and exploitation capacity to meet the project's progress. At the same time, timely and effective solutions are needed to fully and promptly meet the material needs for 2025, contributing to ensuring the progress and quality of the project. The Provincial People's Committee needs to direct relevant units to urgently complete procedures to adjust reserves and increase exploitation capacity, in order to increase reserves mobilized to the construction site to serve the Expressway Project Component 1.

At the 12th meeting of the Steering Committee for the implementation of the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway project passing through An Giang province (referred to as Steering Committee 2168) on March 25, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of An Giang Provincial Party Committee Le Hong Quang (Head of Steering Committee 2168) praised the efforts of agencies, units, localities, contractors, engineers and workers to speed up the construction progress beyond the set plan.

According to the Prime Minister's direction, Phase 1 of the Project must be completed by June 30, 2026. Therefore, the task is quite heavy and urgent. The Provincial Party Secretary, Head of Steering Committee 2168 requested that members of the Steering Committee, the Working Group, and contractors continue to promote their sense of responsibility to the fullest extent, based on the assigned tasks, promptly and well implement a number of key tasks. The Provincial Project Management Board closely monitors the progress of project implementation every week, promptly urges; coordinates with construction contractors, design consultants, and supervision consultants to research and propose solutions for implementation to ensure quality, and is determined to complete the project by June 30, 2025.

Units (investors, contractors, designers, supervisors) sit down together to discuss implementation solutions, no backtracking is allowed. Develop a detailed implementation plan, a plan to allocate the volume of sand and stone by week and month to ensure meeting the project's construction progress. Regularly monitor, strengthen inspection and supervision of sand and stone exploitation for the project. The implementation process must ensure publicity, transparency, and compliance with regulations; resolutely prevent and combat corruption, waste, negativity, and group interests; ensure labor safety, environment, hygiene, and reduce impacts on people's lives; strictly control the transfer of material sources.

"The Provincial Steering Committee 2168 has resolutely directed and created all conditions for site clearance and sand resources. Therefore, contractors need to enhance their sense of responsibility, strive to share common difficulties, propose many solutions, speed up construction in many shifts, and soon exceed the schedule while still ensuring the quality of the project. Not only focusing on project construction, units need to speed up the construction of resettlement areas and soon stabilize the lives of affected households. For other auxiliary works and additional works, it is necessary to review the implementation process to adjust the implementation plan accordingly, ensuring completion in parallel with the progress of the main works of the project (toll stations, rest stops, traffic intersections, residential roads)" - Secretary of the An Giang Provincial Party Committee Le Hong Quang emphasized.

The Expressway Component 1 project is an important national project, a key project of the transport sector, which is being paid special attention to and strongly managed by leaders at all levels. Therefore, An Giang requests that each contractor, with responsibilities under the signed contract, proactively carry out qualified work, promptly coordinate to handle problems and difficulties; and complete important assigned tasks with the province. If the contractor fails to ensure the work, affecting the progress and plan, the Provincial Project Management Board will follow the direction of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha in Notice 94/TB - VPCP, dated March 10, 2025: "Re-evaluate the contractor's capacity, resolutely handle and replace weak contractors who have been supported by all levels and sectors but have not fulfilled their responsibilities; handle contractors who are late and have no change in construction organization, affecting the project's progress according to the law".

GIA KHANH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/chay-dua-ve-dich-cao-toc-chau-doc-can-tho-soc-trang-a417774.html