Construction site is both under construction and exploitation
The project to expand the Yen Bai - Lao Cai section of the Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway has a length of more than 121km, being upgraded from 2 to 4 lanes with a total investment of nearly 7,700 billion VND.
This is one of the key infrastructure projects, expected to remove traffic bottlenecks on the Northwest regional connecting axis.
In the early days of May, along the expressway, it is not difficult to see images of machinery and workers working day and night. Each road section is barricaded and diverted, creating a "large construction site" stretching hundreds of kilometers, rushing to race for progress to basically complete in 2026.
However, unlike many traffic projects, this expressway still has to be maintained for operation throughout the construction process. Trucks, passenger cars, and private cars are still tailing each other through the expanding sections, creating great pressure on safety assurance.
In many locations, the road surface is narrowed, lanes change suddenly, and visibility is limited due to barriers and construction equipment. These are also "hot spots" that potentially pose a risk of traffic accidents if vehicle drivers do not comply with regulations.
Reality records show that lane encroachment, reckless overtaking, and speeding still occur. Just one moment of distraction, the consequences can be very unpredictable, not only for traffic participants but also threatening the safety of construction forces at the construction site.
Tighten control, no exceptions
Faced with existing risks, the Northern Expressway Project Management Board has issued a document requesting Highway Traffic Police Team No. 01 (Team 1, Department 6, Traffic Police Department) to coordinate and strengthen safety assurance on the entire route.
Accordingly, Traffic Police Team No. 1 promotes patrols and inspections, focusing on handling violations such as speeding in areas with restricted signs, going in the wrong lane, going against traffic, violating weight limits or not keeping a safe distance.
Functional forces are deployed to be reinforced during peak hours, at night and in bad weather conditions - times that are prone to risks. At the same time, coordination in handling incidents and accidents is also quickly deployed to limit congestion and ensure smooth traffic.
On May 4, in an exchange with Lao Dong Newspaper, the Commander of Traffic Police Team No. 1 said that from January 2026 to now, on the section under construction from Km123 to Km244, the unit has recorded 1,283 cases of speeding and 95 cases of violations of the road section and lane.
The section of road that is both under construction and exploitation poses many potential risks of traffic unsafety. However, a part of drivers are still subjective and do not comply with regulations, especially speeding and going in the wrong lane. These are extremely dangerous behaviors in conditions where the road surface is narrowed and visibility is limited," emphasized the Commander of Traffic Police Team No. 1.
Also according to the unit's representative, the traffic police force has made records of direct handling of 227 cases, and at the same time sent 1,151 cold fine notices to violating vehicle owners.
In particular, during patrol and control, Traffic Police Team No. 1 also discovered and made records of handling 5 cases of contractors violating regulations on construction and maintenance of works within the land area for roads on the Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway.
In the coming time, we will continue to maintain patrols and controls 24/24h, combining direct handling and through a monitoring system. The point of view is to handle strictly, without forbidden zones, without exceptions, in order to raise traffic participants' awareness and prevent accidents early and remotely," this person affirmed.
In addition to handling, functional forces also recommend that drivers absolutely comply with the traffic sign system when traveling through the construction area; proactively reduce speed, maintain a safe distance and pay attention to observation.
In case the vehicle encounters problems, drivers need to quickly move the vehicle into the emergency stop lane, turn on the warning lights and place a warning object at least 150m behind. People can contact the hotline 1900. 8099 for timely support.
