Tra Khuc 1 Bridge was built 60 years ago, connecting the northern gateway to the center of Quang Ngai City. Every day, thousands of vehicles travel across the bridge, but now the bridge has seriously degraded.
Tra Khuc 1 Bridge is 643m long, built with a composite steel girder structure and the width of the roadway is only 7.5m. According to the reporter's records, the concrete pile foundation system at the foot of the bridge is broken, exposing the iron core, posing a danger to traffic participants. Realizing that the bridge is getting "older and weaker", since 2015, the authorities have banned trucks from crossing the bridge.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Doan Ngoc Vuong in Tinh Thien commune, Quang Ngai city confided: "Because Tra Khuc 1 bridge was built a long time ago, the pile foundation system has deteriorated, so during the rainy and stormy season, people are very worried when traveling across Tra Khuc 1 bridge."
In 2023, Quang Ngai decided to spend 2,199 billion VND to build a new Tra Khuc 1 bridge. Accordingly, on December 7, at the 20th Session - the regular session at the end of 2023, the 13th term Quang Ngai Provincial People's Council decided to adjust the investment policy of the Tra Khuc 1 bridge project, with the scale and total investment updated. The main route length is about 830m, the bridge width is about 28m, and other auxiliary items such as underpasses and bridgehead intersections will be invested.
According to the plan, Quang Ngai will start construction of Tra Khuc 1 Bridge in the third quarter of 2024. This project aims to improve transport capacity, traffic connection from the northern gateway to the city center, while expanding and developing urban space on both sides of Tra Khuc River, creating architectural highlights and building a new symbol for the city. However, with Quang Ngai's budget facing many difficulties, it is expected that Tra Khuc 1 Bridge will not start construction until 2026.
Similarly, Van Ha 1 Bridge in Duc Phong Commune, Mo Duc District has also been seriously degraded over the years. Local authorities have proposed repairing or rebuilding it, but are still waiting for funding, while the risk of the bridge collapsing during the rainy season is always lurking.
Through a review by the transport sector, the entire Quang Ngai province has 35 weak and severely damaged bridges on provincial and district roads that need to be repaired or rebuilt with a proposed budget of about 600 billion VND.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Mai Van Ha - Deputy Director of the Department of Transport of Quang Ngai province said: "There are routes that have been put into operation for a long time, resulting in many bridges that are too weak and cannot ensure their operational capacity. The capital to repair and build new weak bridges in the province is very large, so it needs to be included in the province's medium-term investment plan."
