Dinh La Thang, Minister of Transport, has rejected a proposal to spend VND313 billion (USD14.8 million) to repair the Thang Long Bridge, saying that it is too costly.
Thang’s rejection follows a recent proposal by a branch of the Ministry of Transport (MoT), Vietnam Road Administration (VRA).
Major proposal to repair Thang Long Bridge turned down
According to him, after being in use for over 20 years, the surface of Thang Long Bridge is aging, causing concerns over traffic safety. To fix the problem, the MoT has taken off the old surface layer and added polymer concrete. However, this construction technology is fairly recent to Vietnam and workers did not apply it properly. Some points of the bridge surface were weak and Novabond had to be used to repair it.
“The bridge’s surface is basically stable, but we should pay close attention to any emerging problems to ensure long-term safety,” he noted.
He commented that the VRA’s proposal to spend as much as VND313 billion (USD14.8 million) on repairing the bridge’s surface by using Guss-asphalt and buying new construction equipment was irrational and wasteful.
He requested that the VRA closely supervise the site and work out the most cost-effective solution to ensure the bridge’s surface remains useable in the long-term.
All the funding for the project was to come from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It was expected to be completed by 2016.
Had the plan been approved, the Nhat Tan Bridge and Nhat Tan – Noi Bai road projects would have been finished by the time of implementation, easing the load on Thang Long Bridge, as the Nhat Tan Bridge would shorten the distance from Hanoi’s centre to Noi Bai International Airport.
Đăng ký: VietNam News