The current route connecting National Highway 12 to the center of He Muong commune is a unique route, about 10km long, invested and put into use since 2003, with a roadbed width of 5m, and a graded road surface width of 3m. The areas that directly benefit include the villages: Yen Cang 2, Co My, Na Don, Sai Luong and Nam He, with nearly 100% of the population being Thai ethnic people. However, for many reasons, this route is currently damaged along the entire route.
According to records, this road is full of potholes, relatively large in size. The horizontal and vertical drainage system has not been invested. On days of heavy rain or in the rainy season, the road is often flooded, with many large swamps appearing. The deep holes are temporarily filled with bricks and mortar to make traveling less difficult. However, people still have to be cautious because losing control can lead to traffic accidents at any time. Two-wheeled vehicles have to travel on both sides of the road to avoid the mud, while cars are a challenge for the driving skills of each driver. "Although the road has been degraded for many years, it has not been maintained or repaired. It is like that on rainy days, and dusty on sunny days. Therefore, many accidents have occurred" - Mr. Lo Van Thin (Sam Mun commune) said.
Quang Van Sinh, a driver who regularly transports goods on this route, said that the road has been degraded for a long time, but recently the situation has become much worse than before. "I just hope that the authorities will soon come up with a plan to repair this road so that people can travel more safely," said Sinh.
On the route, there is a 90m long Co My suspension bridge across the Nam Nua stream. This is an important traffic project on the route with a cable-stayed suspension bridge design, iron frame, and steel deck. However, the bridge is currently in disrepair, such as: the bridge deck has holes, some barriers and braces are broken, many fixing screws are lost... causing the bridge deck to shake violently when people and vehicles pass through, especially during the rainy season, causing panic and anxiety for the people. Local people said that although the designed load is 2.5 tons, because it is old, only small vehicles, from pickup trucks and below, can pass through. Meanwhile, trucks carrying agricultural products or construction materials must take a very steep bypass right next to the bridge to cross the Nam Nua stream. During the rainy season, when the water rises, they cannot pass through, making the transportation of goods even more difficult. Therefore, people have to use motorbikes or other rudimentary means to transport goods to the other end, then hire trucks to transport them and vice versa.
Ms. Vi Thi Hac's family in Co My village, Sam Mun commune, lives right near Co My bridge, so they understand the hardships and dangers that local people face every day. She said that due to the steep terrain of the Nam Nua river, if it rains from upstream, the water level rises very quickly, sometimes causing flash floods. Therefore, many trucks carrying goods can reach the other side of the bridge but cannot use the bypass to cross the Nam Nua river, so they have to turn back. There have even been cases where trucks carrying agricultural products of local people broke down in the middle of the river, could not be repaired, and had to wait a whole morning to pull them to shore. If there had been a flash flood at that time, it would have caused damage to both people and property of the local people. "I request that the government pay attention to building a new, larger, more solid bridge to facilitate traffic; at the same time, create favorable conditions for economic development" - Ms. Vi Thi Hac confided.
Regarding this issue, Mr. Bui Hai Binh, Chairman of Dien Bien District People's Committee confirmed that this road has seriously degraded, making it difficult for local people to travel and work, and potentially causing many traffic accidents. Recently, Dien Bien Provincial People's Committee sent an Official Dispatch (No. 3028/UBND-KTN dated July 18, 2023) to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, requesting consideration and support of the central budget reserve fund to implement the road project from C10 Sam Mun commune to He Muong commune in the period of 2023 - 2025. "People in the area mainly live on farming and raising livestock in a self-sufficient manner, the economy is underdeveloped, and the poverty rate is high. The local government hopes that the relevant agencies will pay attention so that the road can be renovated as soon as possible so that people can feel secure in production and travel conveniently" - Mr. Bui Hai Binh said.
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