Even with a new bridge, we still have to go over the old bridge.
Many residents and drivers traveling through Bridge 110 at Km1667+950, Chu Puh District (Gia Lai) bordering Ea H'Leo District (Dak Lak) could not help but feel heartbroken when they saw with their own eyes the new, modern bridge increasingly deteriorating.
The old bridge 110 on National Highway 14 (Ho Chi Minh Road) has seriously degraded due to its long construction history, trucks and passenger cars moving across the bridge must reduce speed. Mr. Hoang Tinh - a passenger car driver on the Kon Tum - Dak Nong route said: "The iron plates lining the old bridge floor vibrate every time a truck passes by. When a container truck carrying heavy loads passes, the whole bridge shakes slightly, posing a potential danger of accidents."
In 2017, the Ho Chi Minh Road Project Management Board (Ministry of Transport) invested in the construction and completion of the new bridge 110 next to the old bridge. The new bridge 110 project belongs to the Ho Chi Minh Road upgrading and expansion investment project from Km1667+570 - Km1738+148, with a total investment of VND 2,633 billion, using government bond capital according to Resolution (No. 65/2013/QH13) of the National Assembly.
Based on the locality’s proposal, the Ministry of Transport has approved the adjustment and addition of the construction item of a new 9m wide bridge 110 next to the existing old bridge. The completion time is 2017, the implementation cost is about 24 billion VND.
The newly built bridge is spacious to allow vehicles to travel smoothly on Highway 14. However, the irony is that the newly built bridge has been around for a long time but there are no access roads on either side of the bridge, so people take advantage of the space to dry agricultural products.
In reality, the bridge, which cost 24 billion VND, has become a wild grass field where cattle graze. The bridge railings have also begun to rust and deteriorate.
Mr. Tran Lanh - a truck driver - shared: "The newly built bridge is impassable, anyone who passes through Bridge 110 is very surprised and confused. Having a bridge but no road is a waste of the State's money."
Land acquisition problem, bridge completed but no access road
A representative of the Department of Transport of Gia Lai province said that the new bridge project 110 has been abandoned for many years, causing concern for everyone. The road leading to the bridge cannot be constructed due to problems with compensation and site clearance from Dak Lak province.
Information from Dak Lak province shows that the compensation prices applied at the project in Dak Lak and Gia Lai provinces are different. In particular, Gia Lai province applied a higher compensation price than Dak Lak, so people in Ea H'leo district compared and complained, leading to many difficulties in site clearance.
Responding to voters' recent petitions, the Ministry of Transport said that due to problems related to progress and procedures for approving local land clearance plans, the project's government bond capital allocated in 2016 had to be extended to 2017 and 2018 and was not allowed to be extended by competent authorities.
Therefore, the Ministry of Transport has directed agencies and units to review and implement project suspension procedures to carry out project settlement work according to regulations.
The Ministry of Transport requested the Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee to balance the local budget or other legal capital sources to complete the project. The 2021-2025 medium-term investment plan approved by the National Assembly does not include the 110 bridge project. The 110 bridge project will be reported by the Ministry to competent authorities to arrange investment capital and complete it at an appropriate time.
