After the rains in early July, many sections on Provincial Road 160 through Xuan Hoa commune are still messy with muddy road surfaces and scattered materials.
Local people continue to wait for the road to be completed to end the difficult travel situation that has lasted for many years.
The project to renovate and upgrade Provincial Road 160, the section passing through Xuan Hoa commune, invested by the Lao Cai Provincial Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board, has a total investment of 235 billion VND.
The project started construction at the end of 2023, by a joint venture of Vu Thanh Co., Ltd., 873 Joint Stock Company and Lao Cai Construction and Inspection Joint Stock Company.
According to the initial plan, the project would be completed in May 2025, but so far it has been extended twice, the new deadline is August 30, 2026.
Lao Dong's records on July 9 show that construction is still unfinished on many sections of the route. After the rain, the road surface appeared many muddy locations, making it difficult for people to travel.
Ms. Hoang Thi Hanh (Xuan Hoa commune) shared that prolonged construction has greatly affected people's lives.
Sunny days are dusty, rainy days are muddy, children going to school is very hard. We just hope the project will be completed soon to travel more safely," Ms. Hanh said.
Mr. Phan Huy Loc - Secretary of Mai Ha village informed that the locality has repeatedly propagated and mobilized people to hand over the land, and so far most households have agreed.
People have created conditions for the project, but the construction is still slow, so everyone is impatient, hoping that contractors will focus on construction to complete it soon," Mr. Loc said.
According to Mr. Vu Hong Quynh - Vice Chairman of Xuan Hoa Commune People's Committee, this is a vital traffic route, playing an important role in connecting trade and socio-economic development of the locality.
However, after nearly 3 years of implementation, the construction volume is still quite low. Up to now, the contractor has only paved asphalt concrete about 3/12.5km, and constructed the base foundation layer about 1.5/9.5km.
Xuan Hoa Commune People's Committee proposed that the investor direct contractors to focus manpower and machinery, prioritize construction in locations with cleared ground, and soon handle bottlenecks to ensure the travel and study of students and the transportation of people's goods.
Leaders of the Lao Cai Provincial Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board said that the project progress was mainly affected by site clearance problems. Currently, the site has basically been removed, but the high prices of raw materials and fuel continue to affect the construction process.
To date, the volume implemented on the entire route has only reached about 50% of the contract value.
The investor said that he will continue to review the progress, requesting contractors to increase manpower and equipment to speed up construction.
For slow bidding packages, the unit will consider adding subcontractors; if they continue not to meet the requirements, sanctioning measures will be applied, replacing or re-organizing bidding.
At the end of May, Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee issued a document requesting departments, branches, the Provincial Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board and localities to focus on removing difficulties for backlog and prolonged projects.
Units must clearly identify the causes and responsibilities of relevant collectives and individuals; develop a specific handling roadmap, ensuring compliance with legal regulations, preventing loss and waste, and accelerating the progress of definitively resolving projects according to the direction of the Central Government and the Provincial People's Committee.
