This bridge is known to many people first of all because it is nearly a kilometer long and the construction material is only crude wood. The bridge was built by hand by local workers. Ong Cop wooden bridge is also remembered because there were big floods, a section or the whole bridge was washed away and collapsed, people had to work hard to rebuild it so they could have a road to travel.
Ong Cop Bridge crosses the Binh Ba River, connecting An Ninh Tay Commune of Tuy An District with Xuan Dai Ward of Song Cau Town. The bridge is about 800m long and about 2m wide, helping people on both banks of the Ky Lo River tributary to travel every day to work and study.
Thanks to Ong Cop bridge, residents on both sides of the river in the coastal area do not have to take a long detour of dozens of kilometers to the opposite bank.
The bridge was built quite simply, using eucalyptus, casuarina or bamboo as the footings; acacia trees were cut to make planks for the bridge floor. The structure was small but very long, so a lot of wood was needed.
The bridge was built entirely by hand, by the local people themselves. The wooden materials were collected from many sources, basically sawn, so the bridge floor was a bit bumpy, with gaps; the bridge walls were assembled from many bamboo bars, some curved, some straight.
The first time she crossed Ong Cop Bridge, Ms. Nguyen Thuy Anh (HCMC) sat behind a motorbike driven by her husband but still felt "trembling in her knees". This is also the feeling of many people, because looking down, she saw the bridge surface full of gaps, the edge of the bridge was precariously nailed with wooden braces, and looking to both sides, it was almost empty.
The first wooden bridge appeared on the river in this area more than 25 years ago. According to the locals, the bridge was not originally built by local people. Later, many locals contributed money to build the bridge, manage it, and collect tolls.
The toll for crossing the bridge is only a few thousand dong per trip, depending on whether the vehicle is carrying people or goods, except for students. The price is set by the investing households after reporting to the local authorities for approval.
The bridge tickets offset the construction costs, and brought in a small profit. However, every year when the Binh Ba River floods and the bridge collapses, it is considered a heavy loss. About five times, the people had to rebuild the Ong Cop Bridge after it was damaged by floods.
In years of small floods, a section of the bridge collapsed, in years of big floods, the entire bridge was washed away. At the end of 2021, the bridge was washed away by floods, leaving no wooden pieces left, dragged down the river, and out to sea. At the end of 2022, the bridge was almost completely destroyed by floods.
People here are used to the scene of wooden bridges breaking or disappearing after big floods. The bridge was quickly rebuilt to keep up with people's travel and business.
Ong Cop wooden bridge is located in an area with many beautiful places in Phu Yen such as Xuan Dai bay, Da Dia reef, O Loan lagoon, Mang Lang church, Tam Giang dam... The bridge itself is also a unique destination.
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