In the last days of the year, the Cao Bang City bypass (old) seems to have fallen asleep after nearly two decades of silence. The road of more than 7 km, once considered a "bottleneck" for local transportation, is now rapidly taking shape every meter.
The project was approved by the Ministry of Transport in 2006, but the implementation journey was full of difficulties. For nearly 20 years, the project has had to stop construction many times due to land clearance problems at Thuc Phan and Tan Giang locations.
People are used to the scene of mud and mud, and dusty sunshine, while cargo vehicles only need to slide and overturn at dangerous slopes.
Mr. Lam Duc Cong, who lives near the road, still clearly remember the image of heavy vehicles moving around and then falling on the slope. "For nearly 20 years, everyone has been hoping for this road to be completed. Many times I heard that it was about to be completed but then stopped... Now I am very happy to see them spread plastic, he shared.
The biggest bottleneck will finally be removed in mid-November 2025, when the entire site is handed over. Immediately, the construction atmosphere changed significantly. On November 30, at the section Km6+600 - Km7+110, the first layer of hot asphalt concrete was poured down, opening up clear hope that this "20-year unfinished" road is about to become a reality.
To date, the project has reached about 96% of the excavation volume and 99% of the embankment. More than 100 engineers, workers and hundreds of machines are working tirelessly.
Standing at the construction site, it can be seen that the new road is gradually appearing with a complete shape, each section of black plastic extending through the mountainside.
Vice Chairman of Cao Bang Provincial People's Committee Hoang Van Thach has repeatedly gone to the scene, emphasizing: the progress must be fast but the quality must not be lax.
He requested investors to continue to mobilize maximum human resources, speed up asphalt pavement of the entire route to complete the main items in 2025, putting the bypass route into operation before the Lunar New Year 2026.
Not only the Cao Bang City bypass, the Nguyen Binh bypass is also on the way to "reviving". This 38 km long route was implemented in 2009 but has been stalled for nearly 10 years due to a lack of capital for the last 3.45 km.
By 2024, the Vietnam Road Administration will allow the Ministry of Transport to prepare for reinvestment, and plans to allocate 38.4 billion VND to complete the remaining part, including roadbed - surface, asphalt, Na Tom bridge, drainage system and traffic safety items.
Thanks to the removal of difficulties, the project invested by the Department of Construction of Cao Bang province is accelerating. According to Secretary of the Nguyen Binh Commune Party Committee Nong Minh Thang, the bypass is expected to be completed in December 2025.
The two "backbone" projects of the Northern mountainous province's transportation are now reaching the finish line, opening up expectations for a new, safer, more smooth traffic look for Cao Bang after many years of waiting.
