In early September, according to the reporter's records, on provincial road 433, the section passing through the mountainous commune of Cao Son (Phu Tho province) has seriously degraded. Recent heavy rains and storms (storm No. 3, No. 5, No. 6) have caused severe damage to the road.
Through observation, the already narrow road surface has appeared with potholes, potholes, peeling, and slippery when it rains. Road corridors in many places were deeply eroded.
Some sections on both sides have been dug into ditches up to 50cm deep, leaving only a very narrow road. Every time a vehicle is encountered in the wrong direction, passersby are forced to close to the edge of the ditch, posing a potential risk of accidents.
Mr. Bui Van H, a resident of Cao Son commune, said that he fell off a motorbike while avoiding a car, breaking 3 ribs while passing through this degraded road.
In many sections, when encountering vehicles in the wrong direction, they must either jump into the ditch, or are very likely to collide. This area has had many traffic accidents because people have to stay close to the roadside to avoid cars," said Mr. H.
Provincial Road 433 also often faces the risk of landslides. It is worth mentioning that landslides can occur even on good sections of the road, due to the mountain running route, weak geology and easy landslides.
Many drivers admit that they are always nervous when passing through here. "There are sections, one side is mountains, the other side is valleys. Just a slide down can make you fall down. Drivers passing through this route must be very focused, said Mr. Bui Quang T, a service driver.
The risk became a reality on the night of August 30. At around 11pm, at Km24+800 (Rang hamlet, Cao Son commune), rocks and soil from the positive slope suddenly slid down the road about 50m long, burying 2 students on a motorbike. Fortunately, the authorities and local people promptly rescued them and brought them both out safely.
According to statistics from the People's Committee of Cao Son commune, the flood at the end of August alone caused at least 3 major landslides in Enh and Tat hamlets.
Ms. Bui Thi Hoa Binh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Cao Son commune, informed that during the days of storms and landslides, the commune issued documents prohibiting roads, posted on the website; sent to villages, hamlets, and residential groups.
At the same time, fencebacks, warning signs, and security forces were deployed at dangerous points. However, there were still people deliberately passing by, especially at night, leading to the unfortunate incident.
According to the Economic Department of Cao Son commune, provincial road 433 was opened in March 1965, and was not paved until 1994. Since then, the route has only been maintained and repaired, not expanded or upgraded.
After many years of use, the section through Cao Son commune has been destroyed in many places, the road corridor has been deeply eroded, causing many accidents for people and vehicles, especially when having to avoid each other on a narrow road.
A representative of the Economic Department of Cao Son commune said that the locality has submitted a document to the Department of Construction of Phu Tho province, proposing to soon renovate and upgrade the road, ensuring traffic safety for people traveling on the route.
It is known that Provincial Road 433 is a vital route connecting Hoa Binh Ward to highland communes such as Da Bac, Cao Son, Tan Pheo, Duc Nhan... Not only serving travel, this is also a route for trading agricultural products and goods, opening up opportunities for tourism development in the entire large area.
According to the assessment of specialized agencies, due to weak geological characteristics, complex terrain, and mountain-side roads, the risk of landslides on the route always exists. Every time a storm comes, many new points can experience landslides, threatening the safety of people and vehicles, even on good roads.
