Talking to Lao Dong on the afternoon of August 23, Mr. Hoang Dinh Sau - Deputy Director of the Department of Transport (MOT) of Quang Ninh province - said: Currently, landslide recovery work cannot be implemented immediately due to the rain. The Department also reported to the Ministry of Transport, waiting for the Ministry to make a decision to build an emergency project because this is a national highway . In addition, the Department has also requested relevant units to prepare materials and prepare the construction site as soon as there is a decision from the Ministry.
Previously, after heavy rain, at 4:00 p.m. on August 20, at location Km4/10, National Highway 18B, section through Quang Duc commune, Hai Ha district, a serious landslide occurred, cutting off the road connecting Bac Phong Sinh border gate to Highway 18.
The landslide location is a negative slope about 30m long, 20m deep, with vertical cracks and erosion of 2/3 of the road surface (20m width); broken and shattered drainage pipes across the road. At the landslide location, a chasm tens of meters deep has been created. Currently, the authorities have set up roadblocks at both ends of the landslide, temporarily not allowing people and vehicles to pass through this area.
The Department of Transport has divided traffic into three directions. Heavy transport vehicles will move along Highway 18C, from Km4 Mong Cai to Bac Phong Sinh border gate and vice versa; The second way goes along the border from Binh Lieu district; The third way goes from Tai Pho village (Quang Duc commune, Hai Ha district) to the border gate, however this way only gives priority to motorbikes.
Mr. Nguyen Hong Nam, driver of Vietway Joint Stock Company - said: Large trucks can only go from Km4 Mong Cai to Bac Phong Sinh border gate, about 60km further than the landslide road. Going from Binh Lieu district, large vehicles cannot go, the road is steep and difficult to go, and the road is being repaired. We hope that the authorities will soon fix the landslide to reduce transportation costs.
In the immediate future, to ensure traffic on route 18B, Hai Ha District People's Committee has asked the Department of Transport to have a plan to build a public service road to serve the travel of vehicles and transport of goods.
National Highway 18B is a vital route to Bac Phong Sinh border gate for trade with China. The People's Committee of Quang Ninh province and the Department of Transport need to have a solution to ensure traffic as soon as possible.
