On December 6, information from the Quang Binh Department of Transport said that the Department has just proposed the Provincial People's Committee to ban all types of motor vehicles with 4 wheels or more from crossing the Song Thai bridge (in Quang Kim commune, Quang Trach district).
Currently, the inspection consultant has completed the load testing step, collected data at the site and is analyzing the data, assessing in detail the bridge's operational capacity.
For Song Thai bridge, the maximum amplitude of oscillation of piers T1, T3 and T5 in the combined two horizontal directions is: 2.331mm, 0.72mm and 0.899mm respectively - larger than the allowable safety value of 0.7mm according to current standards.
For columns T2 and T4, the amplitude of oscillation has not exceeded the limit with the test load but has approached the allowable value.
Concrete strength has seriously decreased (over 30%), the current state of the pillar has serious vertical cracks, posing a potential safety risk.
From the results of the assessment and analysis of the above data, the inspection consultant concluded: The bridge piers do not ensure load-bearing capacity and recommended prohibiting all types of motor vehicles with 4 wheels or more from crossing the bridge, and urgently repairing all bridge piers to ensure traffic safety and construction safety. After repair, it is necessary to re-evaluate the load-bearing capacity of the bridge piers to decide on the construction's operating load.
With the above inspection results and recommendations of the inspection consultant, the Department of Transport has proposed that the People's Committee of Quang Binh province allow all types of motor vehicles with 4 wheels or more to cross the bridge (only pedestrians and rudimentary vehicles and motorbikes are allowed to pass) to ensure the safety of the project.
While waiting for the new bridge construction project, the Department of Transport is allowed to organize emergency repairs to the project to quickly fix the damage and serve the travel needs of the people.
Ms. Nguyen Hoa (Quang Hop commune, Quang Trach district) said that if the proposal to ban vehicles with more than 4 wheels across Song Thai bridge is approved, many people will agree. This will help ensure the load capacity as well as the safety of the travelers.
As reported by Lao Dong Newspaper, the Song Thai Bridge has been seriously degraded. The bridge surface is peeling and cracked, and the expansion joints made of reinforced rubber have been severely damaged. The two ends of the bridge abutments are eroded, with a high risk of collapse. Under the bridge, the concrete pillars are broken into large pieces, rusted, and there are signs of new concrete being applied.
