According to the report of the Road Management Office (QLDB) II.1 on repairing the damaged expansion joint of Song Nhom bridge Km341+182 on the National Highway 45 - Nghi Son Expressway (Thanh Hoa), the investment component project to build the National Highway 45 - Nghi Son section belongs to the project to build a number of expressway sections on the North - South East route in the period 2017-2020.

Project Management Board 2 (PMU2) under the Ministry of Transport is the investor. The route has been handed over and put into operation since June 20, 2024. Up to now, the project is under warranty.

Untitled.jpg
A 2m-long steel expansion joint plate was dislodged from its position, causing traffic safety problems. Photo: Contributor

Through the management and monitoring of the expressway by the Office of Highway Management II.1, the Vietnam Expressway Operation and Maintenance Joint Stock Company discovered that damage had appeared on the section.

Specifically, at Song Nhom bridge Km341+182, the expansion joint on abutment M1 (North abutment) on the left side of the route was damaged, the concrete cracked, and the steel plate of the comb-shaped expansion joint was dislodged from its position with a length of 2m, causing traffic safety problems.

To ensure traffic safety for people and vehicles traveling on the National Highway 45 - Nghi Son section, the Office of Highway Management II.1 requests Project Management Board 2 to direct the contractor to urgently repair and fix the damage before February 14, 2025, ensuring technical requirements, safety of the structure and traffic safety during operation and use in accordance with regulations.

As VietNamNet reported, at around 5:40 p.m. on February 6, Mr. BQĐ. (from Thai Binh) was driving car with license plate 17A-45.xxx on National Highway 45 - Nghi Son in the direction of Thanh Hoa - Ninh Binh, when reaching Km341+182, the section through Trung Chinh commune, Nong Cong district, he encountered an incident where the expansion joint on the highway popped up, causing both tires of his car to explode.

In addition to Mr. D's car having a flat tire, at the same time, a truck and two cars also had similar problems.