In mid-July, at the construction site of the Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway expansion project, the sound of excavators, rollers, dump trucks and concrete mixing stations operate continuously.
The construction atmosphere became more urgent as units entered the water receding phase before the rainy and flood season.
Along the route from Yen Bai to Lao Cai, dozens of construction teams were deployed simultaneously.
Hundreds of engineers and workers work shifts day and night, taking advantage of every sunny hour to speed up the progress of roadbeds, bridges, culverts, underpasses and drainage systems.
Engineer Tran Ngoc Duong - Site Commander of Viet Hoa Construction - Trading Joint Stock Company - said that the unit is maintaining "3 shifts, 4 crews" construction to compensate for the periods that may be interrupted by rain.
The biggest difficulty currently is the increase in material prices and scarcity of supply. However, contractors have proactively signed contracts with many supply units, arranged contingency materials to avoid affecting construction progress," Mr. Duong shared.
At the section from Km190 to Km209 of package XL2-NBLC, Corporation 319 (Ministry of National Defense) is mobilizing many modern equipment and hundreds of officials, engineers and workers to work continuously.
This is considered one of the route sections with complex terrain of the project when it requires both expanding the roadbed and constructing bridges, underpasses and drainage works in hilly terrain conditions.
Engineer Ngo Tuan Nghia - Site Commander of Corporation 319 - said that according to the design, the route section will be expanded from 2 lanes to 4 lanes, the roadbed is 24m wide, and a median strip will be added to improve traffic safety.
On the route section, there are 8 bridges and 18 underpasses. These are all items that require high technical requirements. Up to now, many items have been completed beyond the plan, creating favorable conditions for implementing the next steps," Mr. Nghia said.
To ensure progress, the contractor arranged rolling construction, completing each item and immediately moving to the next tasks.
According to records, many sections of the roadbed have been paved with the first layer of asphalt concrete. Bridges, box culverts, taluys and drainage ditches are also gradually being completed, creating a new face for the arterial expressway connecting the Northwest region with Hanoi Capital.
One of the biggest pressures of the project is the construction taking place on the expressway that is still in operation with a very large volume of vehicles every day.
Motorized vehicles continuously enter and exit the construction site, while the flow of vehicles is still traveling at high speed, requiring strict traffic organization.
On July 22, in an exchange with Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Tran Ngoc Hai - Deputy Director of the Northern Expressway Project Management Board (VEC) - said that along with the request to accelerate progress, the Management Board pays special attention to the quality of the project and labor safety.
The Board requests contractors to strictly implement labor safety regulations, fully equip workers with protective equipment, arrange reasonable rest time, especially for night-working forces," Mr. Hai said.
According to Mr. Hai, the work of controlling the quality of input materials, the acceptance process for each item and ensuring environmental sanitation has also been strengthened to meet the requirements of key national projects.
After more than 8 months of implementation, the project has gradually formed the appearance of a 4-lane expressway. Many sections have completed the roadbed and asphalt paving, while the items of bridges, culverts, and underpasses are being accelerated.
According to the plan, by the end of 2026, the project will basically complete the bridge and roadbed sections to continue implementing completion items, aiming to put the entire route into operation on schedule.
