The Lo River Bridge was started in 2010, and in 2015, the project was inaugurated and put into use. The bridge is 517.8m long, the bridge surface is 7.5m wide, of which the traffic section is 6.5m long, the railings on each side are 0.5m wide.
The bridge consists of 9 spans, 8 pillars and 2 abutments, of which the main beams include 3 continuous beams made of prestressed reinforced concrete according to the balanced cantilever casting method; 6 approach spans made of prestressed reinforced concrete L-shaped beams.
As Lao Dong reported, on October 27, the Department of Construction of Phu Tho province issued document No. 265/TB-SXD on notifying traffic flow and organization through the Lo River bridge. All people and vehicles are prohibited from crossing the bridge from 1:00 p.m. the same day until further notice.
According to the reporter of Lao Dong Newspaper in late October, after the big flood that occurred in early the month, the water level of the Lo River section passing through the old Doan Hung district has now decreased.
After the river water recedes, it is easy to see the bridge piers. For pillar T3, the eroded ground is about 1m lower than the foot of the bridge piers, especially the pile foundation is covered with a layer of protective concrete and a rusty steel foundation.
According to the People's Committee of Doan Hung district, the deterioration of the Lo River bridge has led to the bridge being banned, affecting more than 2,500 households with 9,700 people, causing difficulties in living, studying and producing business for people on both sides of the river. Along with that, the current traffic diversion directions make students go to school every day with a distance of more than 40km (if crossing the bridge, the distance is only about 3km).
The People's Committee of Doan Hung Commune has urgently coordinated with Doan Hung Irrigation Transport Cooperative to develop a plan to operate a temporary cross-river passenger wharf, ensuring full safety conditions: life jackets, life buoys, lighting, warning signs, alarm horns, fire extinguishers, rescue tools, etc. The ferry terminal is expected to be put into operation from October 31, 2025.
Phu Tho province has requested relevant departments and branches to urgently review and assess the overall level of damage at all pillars of the Lo River bridge as well as the quality of the project. In the immediate future, experts on the road will be invited to clarify the cause and propose feasible solutions to fix the problem.
According to Lao Dong, today, October 30, the leaders of Phu Tho Provincial People's Committee will directly inspect and give specific instructions on the incident.
