On August 18, the Department of Construction of Ca Mau province said that it had requested Liem Duyen Hai Co., Ltd., the unit managing and operating Rach Rang bridge, to thoroughly repair the damaged locations, ensuring technical standards and project quality. The completion deadline is no later than August 2026.
After repair, the enterprise must organize load testing to assess the load-bearing capacity of the structure before putting it into operation. The management unit must also maintain periodic maintenance, fully implement the recommendations in the load test results prepared by UTC2 Joint Stock Company after the heavy truck incident traveling through the bridge in October 2023.
The Department of Construction requests the People's Committee of Tran Van Thoi commune to closely monitor the repair process and promptly urge handling when unsafe risks are detected.
Previously, at the end of July 2026, after receiving feedback from people, Tran Van Thoi Commune People's Committee coordinated with the investor to inspect the site and assess the current status of the load-bearing structure of Rach Rang bridge.
Mr. Nguyen Da Khoa - Vice Chairman of Tran Van Thoi Commune People's Committee - said that the section from the bridge foundation to the first pillar, on the bank of Rach Rang hamlet, cracks have appeared. The protective concrete layer has peeled off, directly affecting its bearing capacity.
The investor has repaired the peeling protective concrete and handled the situation of exposed steel core. However, to accurately assess the current status of the project, Tran Van Thoi Commune People's Committee requested the Department of Construction to inspect the entire bridge.
Through inspection, the Department of Construction recorded many defects. Pillars T1, T6 showed cracks along the pile body, concrete was loosened. The approach road area on the M1 abutment appeared cracks at the junction between the abutment and the retaining wall.
The steel bridge deck surface is locally rusty. Some windbreaking details are swayed and have not been adjusted in time.
Rach Rang suspension bridge was put into operation in 2010, 211m long, 3.4m wide, design load of 3.5 tons. The project is invested and managed by Liem Duyen Hai Co., Ltd., operating and collecting tolls in the form of socialization, expected to recover capital by the end of 2030.
After nearly 16 years of operation, the project has shown many signs of degradation. Local people are worried because this is an important traffic route, connecting Tran Van Thoi commune with neighboring areas, with a large traffic volume.
In October 2023, Rach Rang bridge once had a traffic accident when a truck of about 31 tons was traveling across the bridge. Meanwhile, the designed load of the bridge was only 3.5 tons. The bridge railing was deformed after the incident, and was later repaired.
The Department of Construction's request to repair and test loads before continuing operation is to re-evaluate the load-bearing capacity of the project and control the risk of traffic unsafety.
