Dozens of weak bridges have not been repaired for many years in Phu Tho

Lessons from the Phong Chau bridge incident

The collapse of Phong Chau Bridge on National Highway 32 on September 9 left 8 people and many vehicles missing, with 4 victims still missing and unaccounted for. According to research, Phong Chau Bridge had previously been repaired in 2013 and 2019.

In September 2019, Phu Tho issued an order banning vehicles weighing 18 tons or more from crossing this bridge. In August 2022, voters in Phu Tho province asked the Ministry of Transport to study and invest in upgrading or building a new bridge to replace it. In response to voters, the Ministry of Transport said that due to limited funding, it has not prioritized upgrading or building a new bridge.

However, before it could be repaired or rebuilt, Phong Chau Bridge collapsed. The incident showed the urgency of repairing and upgrading old and weak bridges on important routes.

After the collapse of Phong Chau Bridge, Phu Tho has hastily implemented vehicle restrictions on two other large bridges in Tam Nong district: Trung Ha Bridge on National Highway 32 (connecting Tam Nong district, Phu Tho province with Ba Vi district, Hanoi city), Tu My Bridge on National Highway 32C (connecting Tam Nong district with Cam Khe district, Phu Tho province) - both bridges were previously under repair.

And a series of weak bridges have not been repaired or upgraded.

When Phong Chau Bridge collapsed, Trung Ha Bridge and Tu My Bridge limited vehicles, almost all trucks in Tam Nong, Thanh Thuy, Thanh Son, Tan Son districts... of Phu Tho province wanted to cross the river had to go through Ngoc Thap Bridge in Phu Tho town. The load pressure on this large bridge, with reinforced concrete and prestressed reinforced concrete structure, only over 13 years old, is not a concern, but the opposite is true for some neighboring bridges on provincial roads.

These are Tu Cuong Bridge on Provincial Road 315 in Van Xuan Commune, Tam Nong District and Tay Bridge on Provincial Road 325 in Tien Kien Commune, Lam Thao District, both of which are limiting the load capacity to under 13 tons. Of these two bridges, the load pressure on Tay Bridge is the greatest, because at this time, there are many trucks from Ngoc Thap Bridge through Tien Kien Commune to go to Viet Tri City.

According to the reporter of Lao Dong Newspaper in mid-October, in just a few minutes, there were dozens of trucks, vans, and tractors passing through Tay Bridge. Although the bridge is short, with its old age and increasing traffic volume, accidents are entirely possible.

Other bridges such as the White Bridge on Provincial Road 323 in An Dao Commune, Phu Ninh District, still have to carry many large trucks and tractor-trailers every day.

Actual records here show that, in just a few minutes, dozens of large trucks, especially 4-wheeled vehicles carrying soil, passed through this old bridge, which has a 13-ton load limit sign.

Another very important bridge is the Luong Nha Bridge connecting Thanh Thuy and Thanh Son districts (Phu Tho province) on provincial road 317. This nearly 30-year-old bridge is damaged and degraded, with a load limit of less than 10 tons. After the Phong Chau Bridge collapsed, Luong Nha Bridge banned all types of cars.

Speaking to Lao Dong Newspaper reporters, Mr. Nguyen Van Nguyen - Director of the Project Management Board for Construction and Maintenance of Traffic Works (under the Department of Transport of Phu Tho province) - said that the bridges on provincial roads were built a long time ago, their operating load capacity is low, not in sync with the road load according to standards, although the load capacity has been limited for many years, they have not been repaired.

"Currently, the unit is in the process of reviewing and assessing the safety of the bridges. After having official data on each bridge, the unit will report and propose to the People's Committee of Phu Tho province to consider and allocate resources to implement the renovation and upgrading work" - Mr. Nguyen shared.