On September 12, a reporter from Lao Dong newspaper directly recorded the traffic situation on provincial road 542C (8km long), a traffic route connecting National Highway 46 and Vinh City bypass with Yen Xuan bridge across Lam River.
Since Yen Xuan Bridge opened the route, most container trucks, tractors, and large trucks carrying goods and construction materials have chosen to travel on this route to avoid Ben Thuy toll station.
Large transport vehicles run continuously day and night, many of which show signs of being oversized and overloaded, "crushing" the road. The asphalt concrete road surface is rutted, peeling, and leaking with a series of potholes, causing difficulties for people and vehicles participating in traffic.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh (a resident of Hung Nguyen Nam commune), this route has a very high density of vehicles, many heavy-duty transport vehicles moving at the same time while the road surface is narrow.
During rush hours such as early morning or late afternoon, congestion often occurs, causing traffic insecurity, especially when this area has traditional markets and schools.
As a resident living next to the road, Mr. Le Van Thanh (born in 1973, residing in Hung Nguyen Nam commune) said that since the Yen Xuan road bridge was opened to traffic, the road has always been crowded during the day. At night, the number of vehicles is less, but this is the time when overloaded vehicles carrying materials often move between 11pm and 24am.
"These vehicles are very heavy, every time they move, our house and neighbors on both sides of the road shake, often startled at night. During the day, these vehicles were not loaded to return to avoid inspection by the police force," said Mr. Le Van Thanh.
Through research, large fleets of vehicles traveling continuously on Provincial Road 542C are mainly to avoid the Ben Thuy Bridge toll station. Because from Vinh city bypass, transport vehicles can only turn onto provincial road 542C, then cross Yen Xuan road bridge to Ha Tinh. From here, through the system of district roads and National Highway 15A, these vehicles can move to Viet Lao border gate or continue towards the southern provinces.
Talking to reporters, Mr. Cao Anh Duc - Chairman of Hung Nguyen Nam Commune People's Committee - said that the problem of large transport vehicles, oversized vehicles, and overloaded vehicles running through Provincial Road 542C and Yen Xuan road bridge has existed for many years. The People's Committee - People's Council of Hung Nguyen Nam commune and voters have repeatedly proposed that the province have a solution.
"Due to the large traffic volume, provincial road 542C has shown signs of deterioration. Despite being maintained and repaired, the problem of heavy-duty vehicles passing through has not been resolved. Recently, the People's Committee of the commune has directed the commune police force to coordinate with units to actively inspect and handle the situation of oversized and overloaded vehicles.
In the long term, the People's Committee of the commune is asking for policies and mechanisms to build a road running parallel to Provincial Road 542C to ensure traffic safety for local people," said Mr. Cao Anh Duc.
The leader of the People's Committee of Thien Nhan commune also said that oversized and overloaded vehicles running on provincial road 542C through the commune are the cause of road damage, posing a potential risk of causing traffic accidents, beyond the handling capacity of the commune government.
