Recently, on Can Tho Bridge (connecting Vinh Long province with Can Tho City), traffic accidents have occurred continuously at night.
Most recently, on the evening of May 11, a man driving a motorbike on the Can Tho bridge approach road, Binh Minh town (Vinh Long province) crashed into a bridge and was injured. At the time of the incident, many light poles on the bridge and the approach road were not lit.
Through the investigation of the scene, the traffic police of Vinh Long Province Police said that the cause of the accident was due to lack of light and the man's lack of observation.
Earlier, on the night of 7.5, a tractor of Tien Giang province transported iron and steel from Hau Giang province to Vinh Long province, when crossing the middle of Can Tho bridge collided with a motorbike. The accident caused motorbike drivers to die on the spot, causing traffic jams for about 5km. At the position of the accident, the lamp pillar does not work.
The reporter's actual records show that every evening, many lights on Can Tho Bridge and the approach roads on both sides of the bridge are not working, causing difficulties in traffic. This situation has been going on for many months, causing insecurity for traffic participants at night.
On the main bridge of Can Tho bridge with a length of 2.75km, the distance from each light pole is about 40m. However, many sections have 2-3 consecutive lamp posts that are not lit at night.
On the approach road on the side of Binh Minh town, Vinh Long province with a length of more than 5km, many street lights are not lit at night, even some sections of about 1km are dark. Similarly, the approach road on the Cai Rang district side, Can Tho city with a length of more than 7km, many lamp posts are not lit at night.
Observation shows that on the entire approach road and Can Tho bridge, many lighting poles have two bulbs but only one bulb is active. At these locations, there are many vehicles circulating, due to lack of light, so they have to move quite slowly to ensure safety.
According to the leader of the Economic, Infrastructure and Urban Division of Binh Minh Town (Vinh Long Province), during the time of lack of light on the Can Tho Bridge and the road on both sides of the bridge, the functional forces have recorded a number of more traffic accidents, mainly at night and the stealing electric cables. The People's Committee of Binh Minh Town has asked the management unit to soon overcome and ensure the safety of people when traveling through this area.
Mr. Hoang Chau Long - Deputy Director of Can Tho Bridge Joint Stock Company (management and maintenance unit) - informed that the Can Tho Bridge lighting system uses 10 transformer stations (Can Tho 6 stations, Vinh Long 4 stations). Before the Lunar New Year 2025, the medium-voltage cable line from the power supply of Binh Minh town to the main station had incidents of cable explosions and lead pipeline explosions, affecting the lighting supply for the project.
Currently, the unit has reported to Road Management Area 4 to develop a repair plan. It is expected that the problem will be resolved in June.
The Can Tho Bridge project has a total length of 15.85km, spanning the Hau River, connecting Vinh Long province with Can Tho city. This is the cable-stayed bridge with the longest main span in Southeast Asia (550m). The project has a total investment of VND 4,832 billion. According to Can Tho Bridge Joint Stock Company, there are currently about 29,000 cars of all kinds and nearly 35,000 motorbikes crossing this bridge every day.
