On the afternoon of July 8, the Traffic Maintenance Management Board (Quang Tri Provincial Department of Construction) said that the authorities had coordinated to temporarily open one lane on National Highway 15D through Km8+900, after a serious landslide that caused traffic congestion.
At about 3:30 p.m. the same day, after mobilizing machinery and human resources to clear a large amount of landslides on the road, a lane was opened to regulate vehicles from the La Lay International Border Gate to the Dakrong suspension bridge.
Currently, units are still on duty to warn, monitor the scene and continue to clear the remaining section of rock and soil to soon clear the entire route, ensure trade and clear the border gate.
According to Quang Tri Power Company, at the landslide site, there was a 22kV power pole belonging to the power supply line from the 110kV Ta Nut Transformer Station to La Lay International Border Gate, supplying electricity to Laos. The Dakrong Power Management Team has urgently come to inspect, survey and develop a handling plan. However, because the scene still has the potential risk of further landslides, the remedial plan will be implemented as soon as safety is ensured.
Previously, as reported by Lao Dong Newspaper, on the afternoon of July 7, while the unit was constructing the mountain tarpaulin to expand the curve at Km8+900, rocks and soil suddenly collapsed, burying the entire road surface and vertical ditches, damaging about 60m of guardrail on the right side of the route. The landslide caused a complete blockage of National Highway 15D, causing traffic congestion for about 3km.
The Traffic Maintenance Management Board said that the initial cause was determined to be the soft soil layer on the hillside that had been soaked with water for a long time and was unstable, leading to landslides. This is one of 11 corners under construction to improve traffic safety.
Immediately after the incident, the Border Guard, local authorities, construction units and related sectors urgently blocked the two ends of the route, arranged forces to regulate traffic and organize the clearance of rocks and soil, determined to open the route as quickly as possible.
Currently, the rock and soil are continuing to fall, and the authorities are closely monitoring to promptly handle any arising developments.
