On August 28, Lao Dong reporters took a field trip on the Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway, recording images reflecting the quality of this expressway.
The damaged locations have a diameter of about 20cm to nearly 1m, and a depth of about 5 - 7cm. Most of the road surface has been peeled off, and the road surface has been covered with asphalt concrete.
With the current state of highway damage, drivers traveling on the Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway are worried about possible accidents, especially at night.
The highway has such many potholes that vehicles cannot travel at high speed. Even worse is traffic on national highways because in addition to limiting speed, there is also a risk of unsafety.
Saying that the Noi Bai - Lao Cai Expressway is of poor quality is objective, because in reality, it shows that. This expressway is often damaged and has been repaired many times.
According to Lao Dong reporters, in 2023 and 2024, Vietnam Expressway Corporation will spend more than 400 billion VND to repair black, damaged and rutted road surfaces.
In early 2025, VEC will spend more than VND241 billion to periodically repair damaged road surfaces and traffic safety systems on the Noi Bai - Lao Cai Expressway. Construction will take place from the end of February 2025.
However, after a few rains, the road was damaged again. The management and operation unit re-ignited the ropes and placed traffic warning signs to patch the potholes.
Don't blame it for the rain, if the roads are damaged every time it rains, the roads in the whole world will be damaged.
Perhaps after building the road, we have to build more roofs to protect against the rain and sun.
Compare with the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway, you will see that this expressway started construction in October 2009, completing the 20km section from Ring Road 2 to National Highway 51 in 2014, completing the entire route in 2015.
The Noi Bai - Lao Cai Expressway started construction in 2009 and was completed in 2014.
The two expressways have equivalent operation times, but the Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway is often damaged, while the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway is of stable quality.
If we build a low-quality highway, the price to pay is to spend money to repair it. The expressway is " patchwork", does not meet safety standards and shortens the travel time.
After many rains, the road was damaged, which is a "chronic" disease on the Noi Bai - Lao Cai Expressway. Therefore, it is necessary to take this case for reference when deciding to build other expressways.
