Solutions to the problem of shortage of materials for expressway construction

Research on the construction of expressways on overpasses

Speaking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Dr. Thai Duy Sam - Vice President, General Secretary of the Vietnam Construction Materials Association - said that currently, expressway projects in the Mekong Delta are lacking construction materials (sand for filling roadbeds, fill soil, construction stone).

To solve this problem, Dr. Thai Duy Sam suggested that, in addition to traditional methods, the authorities should study and apply new replacement methods. That is to build a highway on the overpass with a reinforced concrete structure. This solution will reduce the amount of sand for filling and filling the roadbed, thereby reducing sand mining and limiting riverbank and coastal erosion.

The leader of the Construction Materials Association also said that the construction of the overpass will use the excess resources at the cement factory. Currently, cement factories nationwide have a capacity of 110 million tons per year, but only consume 2/3. Sources of materials such as steel, stone, sand, and concrete blocks are also used to build overpasses, contributing to stimulating the economy.

Talking about the cost of building a highway on the overpass, Dr. Thai Duy Sam said that if we look at it first, this solution can be more expensive than the usual solution. However, if we look at it in the long term, this solution overcomes many limitations such as maintenance, repair, and subidence treatment. Therefore, maintenance operation costs will be significantly reduced. Moreover, the overpass is located on the abutment foundation system, the bridge piers are deep underground, so there is almost no subsidence during construction and exploitation.

If not drastically, it will be difficult to achieve the target of 3,000km of highway

A representative of the Department of Economics - Construction Investment Management (Ministry of Construction) - said that there are still 12/28 expressway projects facing difficulties, the progress has not met demand. These projects are mainly facing difficulties due to lack of construction materials and site clearance. With this situation, it is difficult for Vietnam to achieve the target of 3,000km of highways by the end of 2025.

To solve the difficulties, at the 16th meeting of the State Steering Committee for important national projects and works, key to the transport sector on the afternoon of March 9, Politburo member and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh directed solutions for construction materials for expressways.

The Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Public Security to investigate and strictly handle violations of the law, and at the same time direct the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to conduct a field survey and guide localities to remove obstacles. Relevant agencies need to review and propose amendments to the legal framework, ensuring direct allocation of mines to the project in a public and transparent manner, avoiding the situation of "hoarding goods and increasing prices", ensuring the harmony of interests of the State, businesses and people.

The Prime Minister requested that localities with mines need to seriously implement the commitment, "resurces are the common property of the country and the people, so they cannot be kept to their localities alone, absolutely do not be corrupt or negative in granting licenses for material mining".