Ea H'leo bypass continues to erode, how to handle it?

Scene of landslide on Ea H'leo bypass, traffic safety is affected. Video: NH

Landslide up to 1/2 of the road surface

In early September 2024, prolonged heavy rain caused the bypass road in the center of Ea Drang town (Ea H'leo district, Dak Lak province) to continue to collapse, damaging the roadbed, causing traffic safety (ATGT).

The road surface collapsed and was completely damaged. Photo: NH

According to records, the landslide occurred at Km 6+585 - Km 6+635 (in Ea Ral commune, Ea H'leo district), the road surface collapsed on one side of the road, creating a deep hole. In addition, some locations of the road surface were cracked, guardrails, and embankments on both sides of the road were also eroded, posing a high risk of landslides.

According to the Ho Chi Minh Road Project Management Board (HCM Road Board), from September 1 to 6, due to the impact of storm No. 3, in the Central Highlands in general and Ea H'leo district in particular, there were prolonged heavy rains, causing the culvert across the road to break at Km 6+600 and damage the road surface at Km 6+585 - Km 6+635.

The subsidence area is located in a gently sloping terrain, mainly coffee and rubber plantations, with sparse housing. When there is continuous heavy rain, surface flows and underground flows form from the hillside to the foot of the upstream embankment.

However, at the beginning of the rainy season, the above location and a horizontal culvert were blocked by people upstream to get water to pump for irrigation. When heavy rains and floods occurred, they were not cleared in time, causing water to stagnate upstream of the culvert.

"The layer of dusty soil mixed with clay with a large void ratio has been saturated with water for a long time, significantly reducing the physical and mechanical properties (reducing friction and adhesion between soil particles). In addition, underground seepage below the embankment is one of the causes of partial subsidence of the roadbed. It is noted that the horizontal sliding arc is moving downstream, causing subsidence and damage to the road surface of the section with a depth of 10 - 60cm, and is still continuing to subside," informed a representative of the HCM Road Project Management Board.

The road surface has collapsed and is about 50cm higher than the road surface. Photo: NH

Currently, the HCM Highway Project Management Board has coordinated with the Ea H'leo District People's Committee, Office III.5 (QLDB III Area) and related units to inspect the scene and determine the cause and damage. At the same time, deploy barriers, place signs, warning flashing lights, and lighting within the affected section to ensure the safety of vehicles traveling on the route.

The HCM Road Project Management Board has directed the contractor to temporarily repair the collapsed road surface with loose stones to ensure traffic safety. Up to now, the road has been ensured to be safe. In the immediate future, during the rainy season, heavy trucks and passenger cars will be prohibited from entering the bypass and will go straight in the direction of the existing Ho Chi Minh Road.

A permanent and permanent solution

According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Vinh, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh Road Project Management Board, on September 6, the Board reported on damage and local subsidence of the road surface due to the heavy rain caused by storm No. 3 at Km 6+585 - Km 6+635.

In the immediate future, the Board, together with the supervision consultant and contractor, will closely coordinate with the Highway Management Area III and the maintenance unit to ensure 24/7 traffic safety and continue to monitor developments to take timely measures to ensure absolute traffic safety for the route until the end of the 2024 rainy and stormy season.

The landslide arch fell towards the negative slope. Photo: NH

"The project has been approved by the Ministry of Transport for final settlement and handover of the project warranty, so the project funding source is no longer available for implementation. The incident of road subsidence damage was due to objective reasons from unusual heavy rains causing landslides extending beyond the roadbed towards the foot of the negative slope for more than 50m.

Repairing the damage requires a thorough design solution and funding to ensure the long-term sustainability and stability of the project through the annual rainy and flood seasons. The Board proposes that the Ministry of Transport consider and assign the Vietnam Road Administration to prioritize other funding sources to handle such as the annual funding for storm and flood recovery work," the report of the HCM Road Project Management Board stated.

The landslide phenomenon is still continuing. Photo: NH

On September 24, the Ministry of Transport sent a document to the Vietnam Road Administration to review and handle the damage to the road surface caused by storms and rain.

Recently (October 7), the Vietnam Road Administration issued a document assigning Road Management Area III to preside over and coordinate with the Ho Chi Minh Road Project Management Board to inspect and review the actual situation at the site. In case of damage caused by natural disasters, it is recommended that Road Management Area III handle and remedy the damage according to regulations on prevention, control and remedy of consequences of floods and natural disasters in the road sector. In case of damage caused by other causes, it is recommended that the Ho Chi Minh Road Project Management Board report to the Ministry to propose a solution for handling and remedy.

The Ea Drang town center bypass project (Ea H'leo district, Dak Lak province) has a total investment of more than 503 billion VND. The project has a total length of 23.31km, with the Ho Chi Minh Road Project Management Board as the investor representative.

The project started in November 2018 and was completed in January 2021. It was handed over and put into use in January 2022. The project warranty period is 12 months, and the warranty period has now expired.

During the exploitation process, in early August 2023, due to the impact of storms and rains, landslides occurred at the above location, damaging the road surface and cross-culverts. After that, the Board coordinated with relevant units to carry out repairs (the repair costs will be borne by the contractor during the warranty period of the project). The repair work will start on September 1, 2023 and be completed on January 30, 2024.

After completing the repair work, the monitoring route was opened to traffic for 3 months, ensuring traffic safety and no damage. The Board invited relevant units to organize the acceptance and handover of the project under warranty according to regulations on May 4, 2024.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/duong-tranh-ea-hleo-tiep-tuc-sat-lo-xu-ly-the-nao-192241015222517101.htm