The Vinh City bypass route - part of National Highway 1A through Nghe An province - was once expected to help reduce traffic pressure for the inner city and facilitate long-distance vehicles. However, after nearly 20 years of use, this vital route is showing a series of shortcomings, causing many drivers to "go as if overtaking".
One of the common reflections is the situation of dense, overlapping, and unreasonable traffic signs. In just a short section, drivers can encounter all kinds of signs: from prohibiting overtaking, limiting speed, warning the construction site... to construction signs even though there are currently no construction works under construction.
"I am familiar with this route, so I know the way to avoid it. For new drivers passing by, it is easy to be punished, because they are both driving and exploring the sea, sometimes before they can see it, they have violated the law" - Mr. Tran Van Cuong, a truck driver on the North-South route shared.
It is worth mentioning that many signs and fences still exist unreasonably even though the projects have been completed. For example, the connecting road from Nam Vinh Bus Station to the bypass has been put into use, but the construction fence has not been dismantled, causing congestion for traffic.
Not only signs, the road surface of many sections on the route avoids cracking, sinking, and being rough, causing danger, especially for heavy-duty vehicles traveling at high speeds. Drivers said that this situation not only causes fatigue but also damages the vehicle, increasing the risk of accidents.
"I drove here all night and encountered a bumpy road, I could only hold my breath. Just lose control and plunge into the fields or crash into another car like playing" - an unnamed bus driver expressed concern.
In addition, many areas do not have road markings, especially near intersections and residential areas, making it difficult for drivers to determine the lane, leading to lane encroachment and collisions.
The Vinh City Bypass not only plays a role in relieving pressure on the inner city but is also an important transport route in the North - South axis, associated with economic and logistics activities of the entire region. The road's deterioration and prolonged inadequacy not only affects people but also causes damage to transportation businesses, creating bottlenecks in the circulation of goods.
Mr. Nguyen Duc Dung - Deputy Director of Road Management Area 2 (Vietnam Road Administration) said that the sign on the upper route is made by this unit. The plugging of the sea is usually done by the proposal of an interdisciplinary delegation after the actual inspection. Mr. Dung also said that two roads connected to the city bypass have not been accepted, so they cannot dismantle the sea for fear of danger.
"We will conduct an inspection, if they have completed the construction, we will accept them to dismantle the speed limitation signs and consider adjusting other signs to suit the reality" - Mr. Dung said.
