Worry about traffic unsafety at the Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway expansion site

Dozens of accidents after 3 months of expansion construction

After more than 3 months of expanding construction, the Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway recorded many traffic collisions in construction areas.

According to statistics, from the time of construction permits to March 3, 2026, the entire route recorded 31 collisions and traffic accidents, injuring 6 people and killing 1 person. In the Tet holiday alone (from January 14 to 23 of the lunar calendar), 10 cases occurred.

The main incidents related to vehicles hitting corrugated iron fences, guardrails, warning devices or losing control when traveling through narrow road sections. Some points of collision are concentrated in curved road areas, tunnel entrances or construction site openings serving construction.

Faced with this situation, the Northern Expressway Project Management Board (VEC) has coordinated with contractors, supervision consulting units and traffic police forces to inspect the actual construction site, and at the same time review plans to ensure traffic safety on the route.

Talking to reporters, Mr. Tran Ngoc Hai - Deputy Director of the Northern Expressway Project Management Board - said that construction on the operating route always has potential risks, especially in narrow road surface sections or construction site opening areas.

According to Mr. Hai, although the traffic safety assurance plan has been approved, some inadequacies still appear during the implementation process.

Some reflection sections are not thick enough, some night lighting locations are not effective, and construction site opening points need to be strictly controlled," Mr. Hai said.

After the field inspection, the units agreed to add many solutions to increase the identification capability of vehicles when passing through the construction area.

Deploying many solutions to ensure traffic safety

According to reporters' records on March 7, the road expansion construction process has significantly slowed down the movement of vehicles.

Many drivers believe that construction causes the road surface to narrow, so it is necessary to increase remote warnings so that vehicle drivers can proactively reduce speed.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, a driver who regularly drives the Hanoi - Lao Cai route, said that some construction sites at night are quite difficult to observe if you do not pay attention to traffic signs early.

There is a section where you are driving at high speed and suddenly see corrugated iron fences narrowing the lane. If the warning sign is placed further away or reflects more clearly, drivers will easily actively slow down," Mr. Hung said.

At the construction site, Mr. Phung Duc Tue - Commander of Song Da 10 One Member Limited Liability Company said that the unit has deployed additional corrugated iron fences, increased reflection density and reviewed all opening points serving construction.

We have installed additional reflectors and increased lighting at curved sections and tunnel entrances. Opening points must have guards when construction vehicles turn around," Mr. Tue said.

The Traffic Police Department also issued a warning to ensure traffic safety on the Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway, the section from Km123 to Km244 is under construction to expand the lane.

According to functional forces, during construction, some road surface positions were narrowed, posing a potential safety risk if drivers do not pay attention to observation when traveling through the construction site area.

Highway Traffic Police Team No. 1 (Room 6, Traffic Police Department) recommends that vehicle drivers strictly comply with regulations on speed, maintain safe distance, drive in the correct lane and do not encroach on the lane in the construction area.

In case the vehicle encounters problems on the highway, the driver needs to move the vehicle into the emergency stop lane, turn on the danger warning light and place a warning object behind the vehicle at least 150m to ensure safety.