Dust surrounds, people's lives are disrupted
Started in 2011 and completed in 2013, the road connecting National Highway 1A with National Highway 12A (also known as Xuyen A road) is nearly 26km long, the roadbed is 12m wide, with a total investment of more than 850 billion VND from government bond capital.
This is a vital traffic axis passing through Hoa Trach, Trung Thuan, Tuyen Hoa communes, expected to promote economic development in the northern region of Quang Tri province, reduce the load on major national highways, and connect industrial parks, Hon La port with National Highway 12A to Cha Lo International Border Gate.
However, after more than 10 years of operation and many repairs, the road surface has now seriously deteriorated. In many sections passing through Trung Thuan commune, the road surface peels off large patches, clearly revealing the base layer below. Every time vehicles circulate, dust rises in thick clouds, flying hundreds of meters away.
Mr. Ho Soc, a resident living along both sides of the road in Trung Thuan commune, said that the volume of heavy trucks passing by is very large. On sunny days, dust flies everywhere, making visibility limited. Traffic participants have to move slowly, always in a state of caution because it is difficult to observe in front.
Not only is the living environment affected, but people's daily lives are also disrupted. Clothes drying outdoors quickly get dusty. Household items, even if cleaned regularly, still cannot avoid getting dirty. Many families with young children and the elderly are even more worried about the risk of respiratory diseases.
In addition, the business operations of households along the road are also heavily affected. Customers are reluctant to stop cars due to dust, making business sluggish. Even some households have had to temporarily stop doing business because they cannot bear the prolonged pollution situation.
The risk of traffic accidents is always lurking
Not only stopping at environmental issues, the degraded condition of the road also poses a high risk of traffic accidents. Many sections have deep potholes and craters, making vehicles easily lose control, especially at night or when it rains.
The continuous circulation of heavy trucks further increases the level of danger. When avoiding each other on narrow, degraded roads, vehicles easily fall into uncontrolled situations. Along with that, thick dust limits the visibility of vehicle operators, increasing the risk of collisions.
Mr. Mai Van Thanh (born 1960), who regularly travels on this road, said that the road was repaired a few years ago. However, due to heavy trucks operating at high frequency, the road surface quickly damaged again. Every time a large truck passes by, dust flies everywhere, causing traffic obstruction and many accidents have occurred.
According to Mr. Phan Xuan Linh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Trung Thuan commune, the locality has about 10km of Trans-Asia road passing through. Faced with the prolonged degradation, the commune has repeatedly proposed to functional agencies to soon have measures to repair and upgrade.
At the end of 2025, functional agencies of Quang Tri province directly inspected the site, assessed the current situation and proposed handling plans. However, repairs have not yet been implemented.
While waiting for fundamental solutions, every day that passes, people still have to live with dust, pollution and the worry of accidents always lurking on this seriously degraded road.
