Drivers said the Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet and Nha Trang - Cam Lam routes lacked lighting systems and emergency lanes that were prone to accidents. The operating unit said the incidents were caused by drivers speeding and not observing.
The Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet Expressway through Binh Thuan province, over 100 km long, and the Nha Trang - Cam Lam Expressway through Khanh Hoa, 49 km long, have been open to traffic since May 19. After more than two months of operation, the vital route in the South has had 5 traffic accidents, killing 5 people and injuring 12 others.
The two most recent incidents on the Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet highway occurred in Bac Binh district late on July 24. A refrigerated truck with a Phu Yen license plate hit a car carrying pigs parked in the emergency stop zone ahead, injuring two people. Seven kilometers away, a collision between a passenger bus and a 16-seat car injured six people.
The scene of a truck stopped in the emergency lane being hit by a refrigerated truck behind it on the Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet highway, late on July 24. Photo: Tu Binh
Mr. Nguyen Huynh, a driver who often drives cars on the route, said that the distance between the two lanes on the same side of the Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet highway is quite narrow, and there is no emergency lane throughout, so accidents can easily happen when driving at night. Not to mention that driving long distances at night makes drivers easily fall asleep, but there are no rest stops on the highway.
"The expressway has not completed the items that have been put into operation, so there is a potential risk of accidents," said Mr. Huynh, adding that the road does not have lights, and at night, cars stopping on the emergency strip without a signal from a distance is very dangerous.
Reply to VnExpress on July 25, Mr. Pham Quoc Huy, Executive Director of the Vinh Hao – Phan Thiet Expressway Project, said that information about the accident on the route due to the lack of safety warning systems and traffic signals is incorrect. Citing the two accidents mentioned above, Mr. Huy said the traffic police's scene report showed that the driver of the car behind was speeding and not paying attention when he hit the car stopped in the emergency lane.
"When the highway opened to traffic, it had a complete traffic safety warning system and lighting system in necessary places," said Mr. Huy.
Regarding the need for long-distance rest stops on the highway, Mr. Huy said that in the near future, the route will have two rest stops built in Ham Tri commune (Ham Thuan Bac district) and Phong Phu commune (Bac Binh district), 60 km apart.
Each point is arranged with two stations (each station is 5 hectares in size) on both sides of the route, ensuring utilities for travelers to stop and rest, refuel... "Currently, the design documents have been completed by Project Management Board 7, submitted to the Ministry of Transport for consideration to select investors", Mr. Huy said.
The front of a passenger car was crushed after a collision on the Nha Trang - Cam Lam highway, July 3. Photo: Thu Huyen
Regarding the highway passing through Khanh Hoa , a representative of Nha Trang - Cam Lam Expressway Investment Company Limited (Son Hai Group) said that two accidents on the route in late June and early July that killed four people both occurred on beautiful sections of road with full traffic signs.
"It is possible that the highway has not yet installed speed monitoring cameras, so many drivers are complacent and easily exceed the speed limit," said a representative of the project management company, adding that auxiliary items, including the intelligent transportation system (ITS) on the highway, are expected to be completed by August.
At a recent meeting between the investor and the Khanh Hoa Provincial Safety Committee, the project company proposed installing speed monitoring cameras to fine reckless and speeding drivers to prevent traffic accidents. This unit plans to install a camera every 10 km on the route.
Mr. Nguyen Van Dan, Director of the Department of Transport of Khanh Hoa province, said that to limit accidents, localities, traffic police and investors must review traffic organization plans, especially at the two intersections at the beginning and end of the route connecting to the expressway. "The authorities need to strictly handle vehicles that violate the law, especially speeding," he said.
The route of the Nha Trang - Cam Lam and Phan Thiet - Vinh Hao expressways, the section between Cam Lam - Vinh Hao is under construction. Graphics: Khanh Hoang
Along with the Phan Thiet - Dau Giay route opened to traffic at the end of April, the Nha Trang - Cam Lam and Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet expressways help shorten the time from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang to 4-5 hours instead of 7-8 hours as before, reducing the load on National Highway 1.
In the first phase, the two routes are 17 m wide, 4 lanes, no emergency lanes but only emergency stops (270 m long, 2.5 m wide), 4-5 km apart. Cars are allowed to travel at a maximum speed of 80 km/h and a minimum speed of 60 km/h. In the second phase, when the road is expanded to 6 lanes, the two new expressways will have emergency lanes.
Viet Quoc - Bui Toan
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