Two iron bridges over 50 years old in the South of Ho Chi Minh City are seriously degraded

Duong Le Van Luong (huyen Nha Be) la cua ngo phia Nam TPHCM di Can Giuoc, Long An co luu luong xe luu thong lon moi ngay. Tuy nhien, tren duong Le Van Luong van con 3 cay cau sat xay truoc nam 1975 hien da xuong cap nang, co nguy co sap bat cu luc nao. Trong anh la cau Rach Tom tuy da xuong cap nhung van thuong xuyen phai chiu mat do phuong tien cao trong do co ca nhung xe tai lon.

Le Van Luong Street (Nha Be District) is the southern gateway from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Giuoc, Long An with a large volume of traffic every day. However, on this road there are still 2 iron bridges built before 1975 that are now severely degraded and at risk of collapsing at any time. In the photo is Rach Doi Bridge (connecting Nhon Duc Commune, Nha Be District, Ho Chi Minh City with Long Hau Commune, Can Giuoc District, Long An Province).

Tai cau Rach Doi (noi huyen Nha Be, TPHCM voi huyen Long Hoa, Long An), nhieu chan cau bang tru sat da bi gi set, mot so chan cau bang sat thung lo cho. Cau xuong cap, luong xe luu thong qua cau lien tuc, gom ca nhung xe tai cho hang. Phia duoi cau, ghe, tau, sa lan chat day cat, hang hoa lien tuc chui qua. Nguy hiem hon, nhieu loai sa lan co lon cho day cat van luon lach chui qua cau.

According to records, Rach Doi Bridge is 128 m long and is currently prohibited for trucks because the bridge cannot withstand the load. Every time vehicles pass through, the bridge makes a rumbling noise.

Ba Tran Thi Trong (SN 1949; ngu huyen Can Giuoc, tinh Long An) cho biet, khi ba con nho da co cau Rach Doi. Luc dau cau duoc lam bang van, sau do duoc thay the bang cau sat va su dung den bay gio. “Ket xe keo dai qua khoi nha toi luon. Cau nho ma cu, xe lai di dong nen nhieu luc cung so sap cau”-ba Trong bach.

Ms. Tran Thi Trong (living in Can Giuoc district, Long An province) said that when she was a child, there was Rach Doi bridge. At first, the bridge was made of planks, then it was replaced by an iron bridge and is still in use today. “Every day, I am very scared to cross this iron bridge. The surface is slippery, the bridge shakes loudly, I have to wait for the trucks to pass before I dare to cross,” Ms. Trong said.

So GTVT TP HCM de xuat UBND TP HCM dua du an xay dung moi cau Rach Doi vao ke hoach uu tien dau tu tu nay den nam 2030. Cau moi dai khoang 452m, rong 15m (phan duong dan khoang 300m, rong 29m). Trong tong muc dau tu du an doan qua TP HCM, chi phi giai phong mat bang khoang 265 ty dong. Rieng doan qua tinh Long An khoang 85 ty dong, se do dia phuong nay thuc hien.

The HCMC Department of Transport has proposed that the HCMC People's Committee include the Rach Doi Bridge construction project in the priority investment plan from now until 2030. The new bridge is about 452m long and 15m wide (the approach road is about 300m long and 29m wide). Of the total investment for the project through HCMC, the cost of site clearance is about 265 billion VND. The section through Long An province alone is about 85 billion VND, which will be implemented by this locality.

Cach cau Rach Doi hon 2km la cau Rach Tom cung da xuong cap tram trong, nhieu bo phan tren cau da xuong cap, hoen ri, phai co dinh bang day thep.

More than 2km from Rach Doi bridge is Rach Tom bridge which has also seriously degraded. Many parts of the bridge have degraded and rusted, and must be fixed with steel wires.

Mat cau nho hep nen chi vua du mot xe oto va mot xe may chay song song. Khi co 2 xe oto luu thong nguoc chieu, mot phuong tien phai nhuong duong va gay un tac giao thong

The bridge is narrow enough for only one car and one motorbike to travel side by side. When two cars are traveling in opposite directions, one vehicle must give way and cause traffic congestion.

Thuc te, du an cau Rach Tom duoc So GTVT TPHCM phe duyet nam 2019 voi tong muc dau tu gan 497 ti dong. Tong chieu dai du an hon 683m, trong do cau dai 171m, rong 15m va duong dan dai hon 512m, rong 29m. Du an chua trien khai do chua duoc bo tri du von trung han giai doan 2021-2025 (chi duoc bo tri 1 ti dong) va khong duoc bo tri von nam 2022 va 2023. So GTVT TPHCM de xuat bo tri cho du an cau Rach Tom khoang 260 ti dong giai doan 2024 - 2025 de giai phong mat bang, sau do trien khai thi cong, hoan thanh thong xe cuoi nam 2026.

In fact, the Rach Tom Bridge project was approved by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport in 2019 with a total investment of nearly VND497 billion. The total length of the project is more than 683m, of which the bridge is 171m long, 15m wide and the approach road is more than 512m long, 29m wide. The project has not been implemented due to insufficient medium-term capital allocation for the period 2021-2025. Recently, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport proposed to allocate about VND260 billion for the Rach Tom Bridge project in the period 2024-2025 to clear the site, then implement construction, and complete the opening of traffic by the end of 2026.

Cung nam tren con duong Le Van Luong, truoc do cau Rach Dia (noi Quan 7 va huyen Nha Be) sau thoi gian su dung, xuong cap da cung dang duoc thay moi. Hien cau da dat hon 85% khoi luong. Du kien thong xe thang 12.2024.

Also located on Le Van Luong Street, Rach Dia Bridge (connecting District 7 and Nha Be District) has been degraded and is being replaced by a new bridge project after a period of use. The bridge has now reached more than 85% of its volume. It is expected to open to traffic in December 2024.

Theo Ban Quan ly du an dau tu xay dung cac cong trinh giao thong, du an nay khong chi cai thien tinh hinh giao thong khu vuc phia Nam ma con dong gop vao su phat trien kinh te - xa hoi cua TPHCM. Cau Rach Dia se tang cuong ket noi giua TPHCM va tinh Long An, tao dieu kien thuan loi cho viec khai thac dong bo ha tang giao thong khu vuc phia Nam, gop phan thuc day su phat trien cua toan vung.

According to the Management Board of Traffic Construction Investment Projects, when these projects are completed and synchronized, they will not only improve the traffic situation in the Southern region but also contribute to promoting the development of the entire region.