Why is the provincial road 334 project still behind schedule despite being extended?

Expected to be a key connecting road in Van Don district (Quang Ninh), the provincial road 334 project, although extended, is at risk of missing the deadline due to lack of construction site.

"Rough" land, trillion-dollar project is sluggishly under construction

In mid-November 2024, Giao thong Newspaper reporters went to the construction site of provincial road 334 project from the center of Van Don district connecting to the end of the island and noted that the construction was unfinished, messy, and potentially posing a risk to traffic safety.

The 2.6km section of Provincial Road 334 in Ha Long Commune, Van Don District has not yet been cleared, so the Provincial Road 334 project has had to be sluggishly constructed.

Typically, the section through village 2, Ha Long commune, due to land acquisition problems, the unfinished construction caused the old road to become seriously degraded.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Dai, a vendor along Provincial Road 334, pointed to the holes and puddles scattered on the crushed concrete road and said: There is a school in this area, near Cai Bau Pagoda, so there is a lot of traffic. Yet for a long time, the road surface has been crushed by heavy trucks running through it, but it has only been patched up hastily.

"On rainy days the whole route is muddy, on sunny days it is dusty, this area often has traffic accidents. People are very afraid to go through this area," said Ms. Dai.

Ms. Tran Thi Khuyen, a resident of Village 2, shared: "The road is in ruins, the system of electric wires and network cables hanging down is very dangerous. That evening, at dusk, a woman riding a motorbike got her neck wrapped in an electric wire, fell onto the road, and was injured. Luckily she was going slowly, otherwise the consequences would have been unpredictable."

Provincial Road 334 through Village 2, Ha Long Commune was plowed and patched up temporarily, always posing a potential risk to traffic safety.

On the way to the center of Van Yen commune, the reporter saw the entire construction site devoid of machinery and workers. Especially the section from Cai Bau bridge inwards, the road surface had only been paved with aggregate, many sections were still littered with deep holes.

Mr. Nguyen The Anh, representative of Joint Stock Company 484 - the contractor of the project to expand Provincial Road 334, said: The project implementation process encountered many difficulties, especially in terms of land. Currently, there are still some medium voltage power poles on the route that have not been handled.

Speaking to Giao thong Newspaper, a leader of Van Yen Commune People's Committee admitted that there are still problems related to site clearance in the area. In the coming time, the government will coordinate to resolve the problem thoroughly to hand over to the construction unit.

Whose responsibility is it?

Through the investigation of Giao thong Newspaper reporters, the project to expand provincial road 334 in Van Don district was approved by the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province on December 2, 2020, is a level II traffic project with a design speed of 50km/h, a total length of 9.506km, a roadbed width of 24-44m, and a design of 6 lanes.

The project has a total investment of nearly 1,500 billion VND, implemented in the 2021-2024 period from the provincial budget, invested by the Quang Ninh Provincial Traffic Construction Project Management Board (PMU), and is expected to be completed in mid-2023.

The bridge projects on the route have been basically completed.

However, by the end of 2023, the project has only reached about 55% of the volume. Of which, two bridges on the route have been basically completed, the road section has been paved with asphalt for nearly 2.7km from Sonasea Van Don Harbor City Urban Area to Cai Bau Pagoda. Therefore, the project has been extended by the Provincial People's Committee until December 31, 2024.

Speaking to Giao thong Newspaper, Mr. Duyen Thanh Thin, Deputy Director of the Quang Ninh Province Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board, said: The project needs to clear about 42.13 hectares, involving 451 households and organizations. But so far, only 6.9/9.5km have been handed over.

Specifically, the 2.6km section in Ha Long commune has not been cleared yet. The section in Van Yen commune has nearly ten households that have not completed compensation and clearance work.

Many power poles on the route have not been moved, making it difficult for contractors to carry out construction.

According to Mr. Thin, up to now, the total actual construction volume has reached 61.8%. Of which, the road item has reached 59.7%, the basic construction of the section from Km 2+900 - Km 7+100 and the section from Km 7+100 - Km 9+503 has been completed. Currently, the contractor is implementing the construction of the roadbed and crushed stone in locations with available land.

Bridge No. 1 and Bridge No. 2 have completed the bridge section, reaching 97.67%, and are in the process of clearance. The longitudinal drainage, sidewalk, tree, and lighting sections have been basically completed from Km 2+900 - Km 7+100. Currently, the units are focusing on the construction of the section from Km 7+100 - Km 9+503.

"Currently, the contractor can only complete 7.5km on time. The remaining section must wait for the Provincial People's Council and People's Committee to have policies and decisions related to site clearance before construction can begin. We recommend that the Van Don District People's Committee promptly resolve the electricity poles on the route and the households subject to site clearance for the 7.5km section so that the contractor can speed up the construction progress and finish on schedule," Mr. Thin proposed.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/vi-sao-du-an-tinh-lo-334-duoc-gia-han-van-loi-hen-192241114183912924.htm