Quang Nam provincial road system awaits... upgrading

Trucks passing through the "bottleneck" of Phong Thu bridge: Photo: CT

Identify weaknesses

Anyone who has crossed Phong Thu bridge (Dien Tho commune, Dien Ban) must pay special attention to be able to get through the "bottleneck" of the main bridge. The approach road is "winding" with frequent traffic, especially heavy trucks, container trucks going up and down the Da Nang - Quang Ngai expressway intersection, and trucks carrying materials.

During rush hour, students and people using non-motorized vehicles are vulnerable and are very susceptible to accidents. The scene of the western approach guardrail wall collapsing was not due to poor quality but because heavy trucks were scraping against it while trying to avoid each other. This bridge belongs to the DT609 route (Dien Ban - Dong Giang) and has had investment plans, but has not yet been implemented in the field.

Cross-section of narrow DT614 route. Photo: CT

Still on the DT609 horizontal axis, some sections passing through Dai Loc such as Ai Nghia town (section west of Ai Nghia bridge), Dai Quang and Dai Dong communes have never been upgraded or expanded. Ba Khe bridges are the weak points of the DT609 horizontal axis going to the northwest mountains.

In particular, Ba Khe 2 and Ba Khe 3 bridges are as narrow as box culverts on village roads. Not only that, because they are located in low-lying areas, during the rainy and stormy season, the Vu Gia River only needs to reach alert level 2 to cross the two bridges mentioned above, cutting off traffic from zone A to the center of Dai Loc district.

As for DT615 axis, according to Decision No. 1647 dated August 4, 2023 of the Provincial People's Committee, this route has a total length of 49.8km, starting from Tam Thang commune (Tam Ky) through Phu Ninh, Tien Phuoc and reaching Que Tho commune of Hiep Duc.

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Tri Thanh - Head of the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee affirmed that priority will be given to investment in upgrading and expanding the railway system. Therefore, at the conference to deploy tasks in 2024 of the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee directed the Department of Transport to preside over and coordinate with localities to study and develop projects to upgrade and expand railway routes to gradually develop an implementation plan.

During the rainy season, floodwaters often inundate DT615, separating Tam Dan commune (Phu Ninh) from Tam Thang commune (Tam Ky). Photo: CT

In particular, the additional section from Tien Cam commune intersection (Tien Phuoc) to National Highway 14E in Que Tho commune is 9.7km long. Intersecting with DT619 (Vo Chi Cong street), QL1 to mountainous districts, the current cross-axis of DT615 has a narrow road surface, does not meet transportation needs, and is unsafe for traffic.

Meanwhile, the DT614 route from Tien Ky town (Tien Phuoc) to Viet An intersection (Hiep Duc) is not doing any better. Deputy General Director of Quang Nam Transport Construction Joint Stock Company - Mr. Nguyen Van Sy said that the unit was assigned by the Department of Transport to manage and maintain this route. In addition to the narrow cross-section, the road also has many winding sections that are very difficult to navigate.

Expansion needed

The Department of Transport said that the urban railway system in Quang Nam province consists of 26 routes with a total length of 576km. Of these, 352km are suitable for exploitation needs, while the remaining 181km have not yet reached the planned scale.

It is necessary to fundamentally renovate route DT611, the section passing through Le Pass connecting Que Son and Nong Son. Photo: CT

Many connecting routes have been planned but have not been invested in, so they are not consistent and have low connectivity. It is worth mentioning that many bridges on the DT609 route have not been invested in and built to remove the “bottleneck”.

The risk of traffic accidents is always latent, and transport capacity is reduced. Linking economic development, such as tourism along the Hoi An - Dien Ban - Dai Loc - Dong Giang corridor, is significantly limited.

In the northwest mountainous region farthest from the provincial center, DT606 connects from Ho Chi Minh road to Tay Giang secondary border gate, if expanded, it will be a strong lever to promote poverty reduction, in line with the policy of bringing the plains closer to the highlands.

The DT612 (Thang Binh - Tien Phuoc), DT614, DT615 routes have been thoroughly invested in and renovated, which will significantly change the appearance of the districts of Thang Binh, Phu Ninh, Tien Phuoc or Hiep Duc. The expanded DT607B route connecting Dien Ban - Hoi An will not only serve tourism development, but also create conditions to continue attracting investment in industrial clusters along and near the route.

Route DT615 is currently a weak point in performing the regional connection function between Hiep Duc, Tien Phuoc down to Phu Ninh, Tam Ky. Photo: CT

Director of the Department of Transport - Mr. Van Anh Tuan said that the industry has proposed that the province prioritize the DT road system, especially upgrading existing routes. Because these are important projects with high connectivity, but currently many routes are small in scale, not meeting traffic requirements such as DT607B, DT614, DT615, DT615B, DT.617B...

In the list of strategic transport infrastructure projects that need priority investment in the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050 according to the Provincial Planning, Quang Nam will invest in upgrading and expanding 19 urban routes (including newly planned ones). If so, the urban routes will perform well the function of connecting economic corridors, economic zones and urban areas; connecting and smoothing existing national highways and expressways.

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