Tra River Banks - Quang Ngai Electronic Newspaper

(Quang Ngai Newspaper) - The bridges connecting the two banks of the Tra Khuc River have their own missions, opening up opportunities for Quang Ngai City to develop and elevate the urban architecture of the riverside city.

April is full of sunshine and wind. I took a cycle starting from Truong Sa Street, heading east, crossing Co Luy Bridge, then following Hoang Sa Street, up to Te Hanh Street. Tra Khuc 2 Bridge, Tra Khuc 1 Bridge, then Thach Bich Bridge, Truong Xuan Bridge appeared.

Old bridge and riverside city

Mr. Pham Ba (84 years old), in Truong Quang Trong ward (Quang Ngai city) laughed and said that in 1965, when the old Tra Khuc bridge (Tra Khuc bridge 1) was completed, the people of the town were amazed at the "magnificent" construction, because before that, the Tra river was crossed by pontoon bridge, or rowed boat. One year, the flood water rose high, and fearing that the pontoon bridge would be swept away to the sea, they had to dismantle the bridge, pull each section anchored in the bank, wait for the water to recede, then move it out and reinstall it.

Tra Khuc 1 Bridge used to be located on National Highway 1A. Photo: Cam Thu

At that time, there was no Thach Nham dam, so the clear water of the Tra River in spring flowed gently downstream. Species of mullet, mullet, and goby fish bred quite abundantly. Near the bridge, people placed a rotating water wheel. It was a unique symbol of "leading water to the fields" of the Quang people, so visitors from afar passing by the bridge were stunned. And also from the scene on both banks, photographer Nguyen Ngoc Trinh had the famous work Tra River Water Wheel.

Interestingly, the old Tra Khuc bridge connecting to Quang Trung Street is located in the heart of the town, so photographers of the town often go to the tomb of Huynh Thuc Khang on Thien An Mountain. From here, pointing the camera to the west, you will immediately have a panoramic photo of the town with the bridge, the river and the streets. This has left a deep impression on the post-war generation of writers and photographers that few people have forgotten!

Also in the 1960s of the last century, Quang Ngai town was small and the roads were also small. The only roads around were Quang Trung, Tran Hung Dao, Phan Chau Trinh, Le Trung Dinh, Hung Vuong with two lanes. Some roads in the town were on the horse-drawn carriage route from Phu Tho, Nghia Phu commune, so early in the morning you could hear the sound of galloping horses and the cries of street vendors. As for the houses, most of the walls were built with Long Tho lime mixed with sand and molasses.

On hot summer nights, people in the town would go to the bridge to cool off and buy grilled corn and duck eggs to eat. Corn grown in the alluvial plains of the Tra River would be grilled over charcoal until just cooked, then doused with salt and chili water, making it both fragrant and soft. At that time, the embankment of the Tra River had not been built, so during the rainy season, floodwaters would flood the town, causing severe flooding, especially at the main intersection. The story of “The street suddenly became a winding river…” was a very normal occurrence.

Imprints from the bridges

To expand the city and avoid vehicles traveling from North to South crossing the narrow Quang Trung street, the State invested in building the Eastern bypass and Tra Khuc 2 bridge.

Tra Khuc 2 Bridge connects the Eastern bypass through Quang Ngai City.

Tra Khuc 2 Bridge is 1,200m long with 17 spans, has 4 lanes, double the old bridge, not only meets the traffic demand of the North-South road but also creates conditions for the expansion of the city, so that the city can move towards the sea. Living for a long time makes people get used to it, when long-distance buses no longer cross Tra Khuc 1 Bridge, many people living next to the bridge miss the noisy sound of cars running late at night. However, the old bridge still continues its mission with people and vehicles passing by in the morning, noon and afternoon.

To overcome the situation of the city being submerged in flood water during the rainy season, Quang Ngai invested in building a dike around the Tra River. Then Quang Ngai City was expanded, not only 10 communes and wards but also merged some communes of Son Tinh and Tu Nghia districts. Tra Khuc River now lies in the heart of the city like Huong Giang River flowing slowly through the dreamy city of Hue. Quang Ngai City was expanded, the province continued to invest in building two billion-dollar roads, Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, down to the sea. The roads were built, so new bridges were needed across the river.

Co Luy Bridge - the longest cable-stayed suspension bridge in Quang Ngai. Photo: Cam Thu

Thach Bich Bridge was invested in construction with a length of 875m, dividing the traffic in and out of the inner city, reducing the number of people and vehicles for the old Tra Khuc Bridge and the new Tra Khuc Bridge. In particular, Co Luy Bridge was put into use in October 2020, not only meeting the travel needs of people, but also beautifying the landscape on both banks of the Tra River, creating conditions for tourism development in the downstream area. Co Luy Bridge is currently the longest bridge in Quang Ngai with a length of 1,876m, using cable-stayed technology and on the bridge there are areas for visitors to stop and admire the scenery. Standing on the bridge looking to the east, you can see Co Luy gate, where the Tra River flows into the ocean. Every day there are ships riding the waves out to sea. Looking to the west, the Tra River is wide open. But the most beautiful is standing on Thien Ma mountain looking at Co Luy Bridge. In spring, the Tra Khuc River has clear blue water, the orange cable-stayed bridges on Co Luy Bridge stand out against the sky. Below the bridge are boats of people raking don and digging mussels. Further away are villages of houses covered in mist...

For a long time, people have taken An mountain - Tra river as a symbol for Quang Ngai land. Now in the heart of the city, there are bridges that decorate the city by the river, making the city more beautiful and charming, just like Trang Tien, Phu Xuan, Bach Ho bridges connecting the two banks of Huong river in the heart of Hue city.

Connecting the happy shore

Every time I go to the sea, I often stop by the Don Gao Dua restaurant in Nghia Phu commune to enjoy the specialties of the Tra River. Ms. Pham Thi Kim Lien - the owner of the Don Gao Dua restaurant said that since Truong Sa road and Co Luy bridge were built, many visitors from other places came to visit the eastern part of the city. Thanks to the bridge, people from Tinh Long and Tinh Ky communes also stopped by the restaurant, because in the past, few people crossed the river by ferry.

Thach Bich Bridge. Photo: Cam Thu

Not only Mrs. Lien's shop, but also many shops have been established in the area south of Co Luy bridge. Mr. Pham Ngoan, who lives on Hoang Sa street, at the foot of Thien Ma mountain, Tinh Long commune, said with a smile that with the road and Co Luy bridge, people on both sides of the river have the opportunity to exchange and develop the economy.

My friends sometimes meet up at the shops below My Tra Hotel to enjoy spicy chicken cooked with chili peppers, and enjoy the cool breeze blowing up from the river. This is the Ghe hamlet, which specializes in sifting sand and scooping river sand to sell, meeting the needs of building houses and projects in the town. Now that it is a city, many people have switched to service work, and life is much better.

The city's expansion and sloping towards the sea also creates a large land fund to attract investment in developing trade, services and forming new residential areas. Also from practical needs, Quang Ngai province has built Tra Khuc 3 bridge connecting Son Tinh district and Tu Nghia district. At the same time, a design competition was organized to build a new Tra Khuc 1 bridge to meet traffic needs while ensuring aesthetics and modernity. If including the bridge on the highway, in the future Quang Ngai will have up to 7 bridges across the Tra River.

It has been 48 years since the country was reunified, and Quang Ngai City has changed a lot. The bridges in the heart of the city are fulfilling their mission, contributing to the development of the homeland.

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