Only forward, no backward, speed is the highway

In 2023 alone, nearly 500km of highways put into operation partly proves this.

Contractors support each other to reach the finish line early

In the last days of 2023, quietly in the office after a series of days of sticking to the construction site with workers to bring the My Thuan - Can Tho expressway to the finish line, Mr. Cao Dang Hoat, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dinh An Group Co., Ltd., could not help but ponder when last year, the business activities of Dinh An and a member unit recorded a loss margin of 300 billion VND.

Construction of Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet Expressway.

"The loss here is not the fault of the State management agency, nor is it due to the contractor's lack of calculation, but comes from many objective factors such as geopolitical conflicts and fluctuations in the price of supplies and materials," Mr. Hoat confided.

Revenue and profit were not as expected, but the chairman's face quickly brightened when talking about the recent Dinh An projects.

"The most gratifying thing is that Dinh An has completed the work assigned to the projects as committed. For example, the work on the My Thuan - Can Tho expressway project was completed 1 month ahead of schedule; 6 bridge works on the North - South expressway project, Mai Son - National Highway 45 section, were completed before December 31, 2022...

Previously, the difficulties at the project made many optimists not dare to believe that we could reach the finish line at that time," Mr. Hoat shared.

After many years working in the transportation industry, what impressed Mr. Hoat was the "sharing the fire", mutual support, and disregard for interests among contractors.

Right at the My Thuan 2 Bridge project, during the implementation process, there is a cantilever section intersecting the Dinh An approach road under construction and the main bridge under the responsibility of Trung Nam. The construction volume is not large but requires complex techniques.

To meet the progress of the approach road and main bridge closing in August and September 2023, immediately after completing the main cable-stayed pier, Trung Nam mobilized equipment to support Dinh An in constructing the cantilever section even though the contract between the two units had not yet been signed.

At the My Thuan - Can Tho project, although completing its work 1 month early, Dinh An supported 15 road rollers (including drivers) and 10 4-wheeled cars to help contractors speed up.

"Previously, each project was done by each unit. Contractors supporting each other was unprecedented. However, at key projects in recent times, following the direction of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Transport, right at the construction site, contractors have become a unified block, supporting each other to accelerate," said Colonel Nguyen Tuan Anh, Deputy Commander of Army Corps 12 and Deputy General Director of Truong Son Construction Corporation.

Accept losses for responsibility and honor

More than 3 months since the North-South Expressway project, section QL45 - Nghi Son, was put into operation, the Deputy Commander of Army Corps 12 still cannot forget the final "battle" when the unit participated in supporting and "rescuing" the work of a contractor in the same consortium, meeting the requirement to complete the project on the occasion of National Day (September 2, 2023).

In late June and early July 2023, the subcontractor's 150m long section was about to be unloaded when the roadbed structure became unstable. Finding a solution was almost at a standstill. The subcontractor gave up.

As the leading unit of the consortium, Truong Son Construction Corporation mobilized forces to respond.

On July 15, less than 2 months before the finish line, the mass drilling of cement piles began.

In the cramped area, the contractor had to mobilize 4 8-shaft drilling machines at the same time, the largest capacity drilling machines in Vietnam today, to drill 33,500m of cement piles and completed about a week later (July 23).

After waiting for consolidation, in just 10 days, the contractor immediately began to construct a huge amount of work, from filling the roadbed, grading crushed stone to asphalt concrete. By August 26, Truong Son Construction Corporation had completed the road surface construction, ensuring completion on August 29.

"According to calculations, Truong Son spent more than 7 billion VND to rescue the subcontractor. The entire project, the contractor lost about 40 billion VND compared to the initial bid price. We ignored the issue of profit, striving for efficiency, honor and overall progress," said Colonel Nguyen Tuan Anh.

According to the leader of the Department of Construction Investment Management (Ministry of Transport), sharing and mutual support among contractors is also the core factor for most expressway projects to reach the finish line in 2023 as required. "That spirit of sharing and overcoming difficulties together is likened by many people to a timely 'handshake'," he explained.

Struggling with contractors to overcome difficulties

After two long months at the My Thuan - Can Tho expressway construction site, Mr. Nguyen The Minh, Deputy Director of the Department of Construction Investment Management, returned to Hanoi with his skin darkened by the sun and wind.

"On duty" with engineers and workers during the most stressful period, Mr. Minh himself could not hold back his tears when watching the footage of the difficult journey on the inauguration day.

Nearly 500km of highway put into operation in one year

In 2023, the Ministry of Transport started 26 projects (18 road projects; 2 waterway projects; 3 railway projects; 2 maritime projects and 1 construction project).

Determined to bring projects to completion, 20 projects were completed during the year (17 road projects; 1 maritime project; 2 waterway projects).

Of these, 9 expressway component projects were put into operation with a total length of 475km, bringing the total number of expressway kilometers put into operation nationwide to 1,892km.

Putting aside the days of "eating on the run and not getting enough sleep", looking back at the past, according to Mr. Minh, most of the expressway projects that were completed in 2023 had to race against time with countless difficulties.

For example, in the Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet expressway project, there are material mines that will not be licensed for exploitation until the end of September 2022, only 3 months from the contract deadline.

It is more difficult in the final months, when projects are racing to reach the finish line, the amount of materials and supplies required is 1.5 - 2 times higher than usual, the mining capacity of the mine cannot meet the demand. As for traffic safety equipment, there was a time when reflective sign films were no longer available on the market.

"With the spirit of "only moving forward, not backward", there are solutions that, although very costly, must be considered for implementation. There is a shortage of filling materials, and the land for the roadbed has been gathered or completed, but the land still has to be taken up to prioritize the main route," said Mr. Minh.

The contractor focused on speeding up, and the leaders of the Ministry of Transport also rolled up their sleeves and went directly to each supplier to request an increase in grinding time to increase the capacity of supplying materials to the project.

With commercial mines supplying many customers, the Ministry's leaders also advocated for priority for the highway project. Some mines even had to ask local leaders for help.

When material prices increased dramatically, the contract price adjustment formula caused the contractor to not collect enough to cover expenses, the Ministry of Transport directed the investor, within the framework of legal regulations, to find every way to speed up the acceptance, payment, and price compensation work.

Any material components brought to the construction site that can be advanced will be advanced up to the maximum (60 - 70%). At the same time, work with the supplier to expand the margin of outstanding debt, creating conditions for the contractor to mobilize construction materials and supplies.

"The spirit at that time was that everyone had to get involved. Thanks to that, difficulties were gradually resolved, and the project could be opened to traffic on time," Mr. Minh recalled.

Transport capital disbursement record

In 2023, the Ministry of Transport was assigned a capital plan of more than VND 95,000 billion (1.7 times higher than in 2022), accounting for 1/4 of the estimated development investment expenditure, but always ranked first in the country in terms of disbursement rate, reaching more than 95% for the whole year.

Recognizing the efforts of the Ministry of Transport and other ministries, sectors and localities in promoting the development of transport infrastructure, especially expressways, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh assessed: "Wherever the road opens, development space opens up... The Ministry of Transport has strived to excellently complete its tasks, contributing with the whole country to stabilize the macro-economy, control inflation, develop infrastructure and promote growth".

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/chi-tien-khong-lui-than-toc-lam-cao-toc-192240213022149263.htm