Thon Ha bridge is expected for completion in June 2019

No more “dependent” on boats

A Min bridge, built over the Sal river in A Roang commune (A Luoi district), is gradually turning local people’s dream of “independent” on boats into reality.

Mr. Tran Viet Nang, Party Secretary of A Roang Commune says that people in the commune has struggled a lot to “cross” the Sal River every high-flooding season for many years.

An overflowing dam which was constructed from the beginning of Ho Chi Minh road construction is now degraded and has a low elevation. In rainy and flooding seasons, local people, especially pupils, must “cross” the high-water flow in danger to go to schools at the commune center.

In those circumstances, the local authority has to assign human forces to stand by and set up barriers to prevent any accidents. “A Min bridge, which will be completed soon, will be a connecting axis from the center of A Roang commune to the villages of A Min, A Ho and Ka Ron. This is also the axis of trade and transportation for agricultural products, contributing to the economic development of this locality,” adds Mr. Nang.

Speeding up the construction progress of A Min bridge

Returning from the mountains to upstream of the Huong river, Thon Ha bridge is also being built, crossing the Ta Trach river branch to connect the two remote communes of Thuy Bang and Duong Hoa (Huong Thuy township).

“Up to now, people in the villages of Tan Ba, Ha and Vo Xa have to cross the river by boat. Tan Ba ferry station has become familiar to local people but is also a horrifying obsession in every flooding season. Any students or local people wishing to cross the river have to travel 10 kilometers up to Duong Hoa commune or down to Huong Tho commune to cross Huu Trach bridge. This has been much more convenient with the coming completion of the new bridge,” said Mr. Dang Phuoc My, a local resident.

Mr. Le Van Thin, Chairman of the People's Committee of Thuy Bang commune, asserts that Thon Ha bridge connecting Tan Ba village of Thuy Bang commune and Ha village of Duong Hoa commune has not only a significance of defense strategy but also a special importance to local people’s civil needs. In addition to travelling, the transport of agricultural products, rubber latex, acacia logging in the locality and surrounding areas will be much more convenient.

 “The whole commune has 145 ha of acacia forestry and many agricultural products. The coming completed Thon Ha bridge will form a trade connecting axis of upstream areas of Huong Tho, Thuy Bang and Duong Hoa communes, and support local people to develop the upstream river economy,” stated Mr. Thin.

Speeding up the construction progress

The Local Project of Civil Bridge and Road Asset Management (LRAMP Project), approved by the Prime Minister as an investment project category at the Decision No. 330/QD-TTg dated March 2nd, 2016. The World Bank funded USD 385 million, including two components of bridge and road constructions. The project will concretize the strategies and programs of the Government of Vietnam being the “National strategy for rural transportation development by 2020 with a vision to 2030” and “Program for Local Bridge Construction to Ensure Traffic Safety in Ethnic Minority Areas in 2014-2020”.

Mr. Nguyen Tung Linh, executive officer of LRAMP Thua Thien Hue Project, informs that the investor has urged construction units to mobilize manpower and machines to speed up the progress and complete basic items before the flooding season. Particularly, A Min bridge located in A Roang commune has a construction time from January to June 2019 with a total construction budget of 2.3 billion dongs and is constructed by Thua Thien Hue Traffic Construction Joint Stock Company.

Currently, the contractor has completed the casting of 4/4 beams. It is constructing the lower structure (2 abutments and 1 pillar). The upcoming work is to continue the construction of the lower structure, install beams and complete the bridge.

Mr. Linh continued to share that during the construction process, the unit met many difficulties such as the remote location of the bridge, the transportation and gathering of materials. Moreover, the initial land clearance encounter obstacles due to the fact that in the project, budget is not allocated for land clearance; and the project owner has to mobilize local people to donate their lands.

However, with an active mobilization of local authorities, local ethnic people understood the significance of building the bridge and agreed to donate land for the contractor to deploy the project.

As for Thon Ha bridge with a total investment of over 9 billion dongs, the constructors are completing the final items and expecting to complete the bridge in June 2019.

Mr. Hoang Van Chau, CEO of LRAMP Thua Thien Hue Project informs that the Civil bridge construction component in the province has been invested a total capital of 51 billion dongs to build 15 bridges. At present, 6 bridges under the component 1 project in Phong Dien and A Luoi districts have been completed and handed over to localities.

The remaining 9 bridges of the component 2 project are under construction with an expected completion at the end of June 2019. They include A Min bridge, A So 1 bridge, Khe Chai bridge, A Sap bridge, Hong Kim bridge in A Luoi district, Da Phu bridge and A Ki bridge in Nam Dong district, Thon Ha bridge in Huong Thuy town and Khe Trem Bridge in Huong Tra town.

Story, photos: Ha Nguyen