Danger lurks
After more than 30 years of exploitation and use, the bridge on the main canal of Nam, through village 7, Nghia Lam commune, Tu Nghia district, has seriously degraded. According to the reporter's records, the bridge surface has peeled off, creating large holes; two bridge abutments have deep cracks, while the iron bars under the bridge girders have rusted and broken. Every time a heavy vehicle passes by, the bridge shakes violently, with the potential risk of collapse at any time. Faced with this situation, the authorities have placed a temporary steel plate on the bridge surface and posted signs restricting the load, to warn people and vehicles.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Vo Diem, a resident of Nghia Lam commune, said that this is a vital bridge, connecting Nghia Lam commune with Nghia Son, Tu Nghia district. Although it has degraded, there are still many vehicles passing by every day, including dozens of heavy trucks. Despite concerns about the danger, people still travel regularly, because if they do not cross this bridge, they will have to take a detour of nearly 10km.
In Nghia Hanh district, many bridges on major roads have also been damaged over time. Specifically, Me Son bridge on Provincial Road 624B, through Hanh Thien commune, was built in 1995, has a narrow, cracked bridge deck, and both sides of the bridge abutments have collapsed. In particular, this bridge is located in a low-lying area, often flooded during the rainy season, causing great difficulties for people. Although Provincial Road 624B has been widened by 6m, Me Son bridge has not been upgraded, with a bridge deck only 3m wide and no railings. This has led to many traffic accidents.
Similar to Tra Khuc 1 Bridge, built 60 years ago, it is one of the important bridges connecting the northern gateway with the center of Quang Ngai City. However, this bridge has also seriously degraded, especially the concrete pile foundation system has broken, exposing the iron core, directly threatening the safety of traffic participants.
Need funding to upgrade the bridge
To ensure public safety, the Quang Ngai Department of Transport has established an inspection team to assess the safety of bridges on national and provincial highways. The inspection results show that 53 bridges are damaged and degraded, of which about 8 bridges are in a dangerous state and need to be handled immediately.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Nguyen Phong - Director of the Department of Transport of Quang Ngai province, said: "The inspection team has assessed the impact on the structure of the bridges, especially factors such as foundations and pillars affected by the flow and geological changes after many years of exploitation. We have proposed solutions, including stopping operations or restricting traffic on weak bridges, and at the same time proposing traffic diversion plans to ensure safety."
Mr. Phong also emphasized: "The Department has sent a document requesting the Provincial People's Committee and relevant agencies to promptly allocate funds to upgrade severely damaged bridges. In the immediate future, to ensure the safety of the people, we have put up warning signs and requested the districts and communes where the bridges are located to be on duty regularly, ensuring that no vehicles pass through severely degraded bridges."
