Sand source problems, project progress sluggish
According to the Department of Construction of Can Tho City, currently, 4 transportation projects including: Provincial Road 917 Construction and Upgrade and Expansion Project, Provincial Road 918 Project (phase 2), Provincial Road 921, Provincial Road 923 Construction and Upgrade and Expansion Project are facing difficulties in terms of filling materials, affecting the construction progress.
Of which, the Provincial Road 917 Construction and Upgrade and Expansion Project has implemented 2/4 packages, reaching 16.8% of the construction value; handing over 8.22/11.450km of site (71.85%). Provincial Road 918 Project (phase 2), currently under construction of 1/3 of the package, reaching 35% of the contract value; handing over 3.44/6.27km of site (54.9%).
Provincial Road 921 project is under construction of 5/6 packages, reaching 53.6% of the implementation value; 99.87% of the site has been handed over. The project to build and upgrade and expand Provincial Road 923 has only handed over about 42.2% of the site, not continuously; the construction and installation work has reached 18.72% of the contract value.
Mr. Le Tien Dung - Director of the Department of Construction of Can Tho City - said that the site clearance progress of the projects ranges from 60 - 80%, basically meeting the requirements. However, the biggest difficulty and obstacle of these projects is the source of filling materials.
"Currently, the source of sand materials is concentrated on the expressways, so sometimes it causes difficulties for these 4 projects," said Mr. Dung.
However, Mr. Dung also affirmed that the City People's Committee has directed investors to be determined and resolute to try to open these 4 projects from now until the end of 2025.
Previously, in November 2024, the People's Council of Can Tho City passed a Resolution adjusting the investment policy for these 4 transport projects with a total increased capital of more than 960 billion VND. The reason for the adjustment is said to be due to changes in material prices, site clearance costs and other factors.
Of which, the Provincial Road 917 project increased capital by 247 billion VND, Provincial Road 918 (phase 2) increased by 178 billion VND, Provincial Road 921 increased by more than 80 billion VND and Provincial Road 923 had the largest capital increase of 361 billion VND.
The increase in capital while the construction progress is still delayed and facing many difficulties in material sources is posing many challenges for Can Tho City's management agencies in ensuring the quality and completion progress of these key transport projects, meeting the people's expectations.
" Chicken", "elephant cage" surrounds passersby
According to the reporter's actual record on April 16, Provincial Road 923 is currently packed with "potholes". Many sections of the road are so damaged that people have to use bags of soil to temporarily fill deep holes. This situation not only makes it difficult for vehicles to move but also poses a high risk of traffic accidents.
Mr. Nguyen Anh Tu, a regular resident on this route, shared that the road has been degraded so badly for many years, especially after heavy rain, the potholes have become even deeper and wider. Those who are weak in driving motorbikes without care will immediately fall.
As a trader with a store along the road, Ms. Tuyet Mai said: "This situation keeps going on, affecting the lives of households in the area. We just hope that leaders at all levels will soon have a plan to upgrade the road to fix it."
During rush hour, the reporter noted that many students and cyclists and motorbikes have to make a great difficulty to get through muddy, rough roads. Cars, especially agricultural trucks, are also significantly affected by slow and hopeless movement, fuel consumption, vehicle damage and transportation time.
