Informing Lao Dong Newspaper, the Ministry of Construction said that the Ministry has just issued a Directive to inspect and review the management and use of road safety corridors; measures to ensure fire prevention and fighting of road infrastructure in provinces and centrally run cities.
According to the Ministry of Construction, currently, regulations on the management and use of road safety corridors, road safety works and measures to ensure fire prevention and fighting of road infrastructure have been fully regulated by the State in the 2024 Road Law, the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety, the Law on Fire Prevention, Fire Fighting and Rescue and guiding documents under the Law.
However, the Ministry of Construction assessed that the management and use of road safety corridors in some localities in the recent past still has some shortcomings leading to risks of traffic safety and road safety.
"For example, the fire under Vinh Tuy Bridge (Hanoi City) occurred on August 30, causing fire to many vehicles and risk affecting the structure of Vinh Tuy Bridge" - the Ministry of Construction emphasized.
Therefore, the Ministry of Construction requests the Chairmen of the People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities to direct the review of all management and use of road safety corridors under their management; ensure that roadways and sidewalks are not used for purposes contrary to the provisions of Decree 165/2024 of the Government.
Localities promptly handle cases of encroachment, occupation, and illegal use of road safety corridors and road land in violation of the law; take full responsibility if they continue to exist in the management and use of road safety corridors and land, threatening the safety of ministries and works in the area, including the use of underpasses as illegal parking lots, leading to fires related to ministries' infrastructure such as the recent incident under Vinh Tuy bridge.
Provinces and cities must immediately plan to relocate parking lots out of the protection area of road infrastructure (if any) before October 30, prioritizing investment in building parking lots that meet the standards according to the approved planning, meeting the demand for static traffic in urban areas.
The Ministry of Construction assigned the State Appraisal Department of Construction Quality to coordinate with specialized agencies of Hanoi City in organizing the inspection and assessment of the impact of the fire on the quality and exploitability of Vinh Tuy Bridge; propose solutions (if necessary), report to the Ministry of Construction as a basis for coordination with the Hanoi People's Committee, report to the Prime Minister on the implementation results before September 15...
Regarding the fire of the underpass under Vinh Tuy Bridge, since April 2023, Lao Dong Newspaper has published a warning article: The underpass under Hanoi Bridge was "cut" to make an illegal parking lot.
According to the reporter of Lao Dong Newspaper, at the end of March 2023, at many overpass underpasses, the situation of unlicensed vehicle parking took place publicly, although the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction) had issued a directive to rectify and request an end.
The article reflects: in 2020, the Hanoi People's Committee approved the plan of the Hanoi Department of Transport on temporarily using some underpass areas as vehicle parking areas.
Accordingly, 4 areas including the Chuong Duong, Nga Tu Vong, Mai Dich and Vinh Tuy bridges will be used to temporarily store vehicles. This is considered an effective solution in the context of the city's current "thirst" for bean sprouts.
However, on July 25, 2022, the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction) issued consolidated document No. 333 regulating the management and protection of road traffic infrastructure. The document stipulates: "Unsupporting road bridges is not allowed for residential purposes, parking lots and other business services".
According to Lao Dong, at that time, the T14 area in Vinh Tuy ward (Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi) was still a parking lot for day and night.
