Localities and contractors are "out of sync", the project to upgrade National Highway 19 through Binh Dinh is sluggish

Serious "bottleneck"

XL-01 is the most sluggish package among the 8 packages invested by Project Management Board 2, Ministry of Transport. On the route Km50 - Km66+515, XL-01 has nearly 10km passing through residential areas of Tay Thuan and Tay Giang communes; the rest is the section crossing An Khe pass. The package is constructed by Trung Nam 18 E&C Construction Joint Stock Company. Both components are unfinished and behind schedule.

In Tay Giang commune, the Ba La bridge project has been "inactive" for many times. Without access roads, the bridge looks like a truncated back. Two-way traffic as well as the lives and activities of residents in the area are increasingly unsafe due to the prolonged makeshift construction and pollution.

Ba La Bridge, Bau Sen and the road section through it are serious “bottlenecks”. The roadbed is too high, houses are “pulled” down deep; the rolling and compacting work cracks the walls; the dust and dirt surrounds day and night… are the reasons for the wave of fierce reactions.

According to the contractor, there are sections where the C19 asphalt layer was completed in April 2024 but has not been completed yet. The section between Bau Sen and Ba La bridges, the contractor wanted to pour the aggregate before paving the asphalt, but was forced to stop because the locals fiercely opposed it. Some people even lay down in front of the car!

Meanwhile, when reporting to the People's Committee of Binh Dinh province, Project Management Board 2, and Tay Son district People's Committee, they did not hesitate to complain: "Roadbed rolling construction caused damage and cracks in houses and structures, but the appraisal and compensation work for affected households is still very slow. Only 228/1,156 households with houses and structures cracked due to construction have been compensated. The slow construction progress and prolonged dust emissions have affected people's lives. The system of ditches and drainage pipes along both sides of the road has not been completed, including locations where clean land has been handed over."

"The monk says the monk is right, the nun says the nun is right"

Vice Chairman of Tay Son District People's Committee Nguyen Van Khanh said: "No other project has the local government been as persistent in following as with Highway 19. Every week, we are present at the scene. I even know by heart the names and circumstances of each complaint case. Regarding enforcement and construction protection, Tay Son is also ready with a plan."

Mr. Khanh did not avoid the question about the “out of sync” relationship between the locality and the contractor: “The district requested to provide a construction plan to have a basis for coordination, but they did not respond! The difficulty and delay are on An Khe Pass, but down here, if we focus on the work, it will only take 7-10 days to complete the service road. They are just looking for ways to delay.”

On the other hand, the contractor's representative... complained: "When people obstructed, the authorities immediately used the cracked house construction as an excuse to settle the score, making the matter even more difficult to resolve. We asked for intervention many times, but the authorities did not understand or share."

This person explained: “Support, compensation for site clearance and compensation for property damage during construction are two different issues. The project did not fulfill its responsibility to the people in site clearance, leading to obstruction of construction, we accept. But if the house cracks due to rolling and compacting, that is a civil relationship. The responsibility belongs to us; it is just that we cannot compensate immediately if we want to. There are also surveys, assessments, appraisals, estimates, consultations with related parties, and even arbitration. All projects are like that, construction first, compensation for damages later. If we continue to drag our feet and obstruct, how can we have the land to work?”