In early July, the impact of storms and floods caused a serious landslide at the Lao Cai - Sa Pa BOT toll station, burying a large section of road, causing traffic disruption.
On October 29, according to the reporter of Lao Dong Newspaper, nearly 4 months have passed, and this area is still in the process of being repaired. At the scene, a large amount of rock and soil was still buried the road section passing through the toll station.
Therefore, vehicles cannot currently move on Provincial Road 155 through Mong Sen Bridge as before, because this area has been closed to ensure safety.
According to research, while waiting for a solution, people and tourists who want to go to Sa Pa, Lai Chau and vice versa will have to travel along National Highway 4D. This is a parallel road with Provincial Road 155, where the Lao Cai - Sa Pa BOT station is located above.
Actual observations show that there are trucks and excavators in the toll station area to serve the landslide clearance work.
Mr. Nguyen Van Toan (a tourist driver on the Sa Pa - My Dinh route) shared: "It has been nearly 4 months since the landslide, so we drivers have to take the longer and longer National Highway 4D route. While the road below is not necessarily safe and there is still a risk of landslides every time there is a wind".
Mr. Nguyen Quang Luu - Deputy General Director of Lao Cai - Sa Pa BOT Investment Joint Stock Company - said that due to the rain and wind, the machinery has not been able to fix the problem in the past, and the unit is currently clearing the soil and rocks in the toll station area.
"The unit is speeding up the progress of clearing rocks and soil to repair equipment at the toll station. Only then can the specific extent of damage be assessed. Hopefully, the traffic volume will increase in the future so that investors can reduce their financial burden," informed the Deputy General Director of Lao Cai - Sa Pa BOT Investment Joint Stock Company.
Talking with Lao Dong, Mr. Vu Xuan Quy - Chairman of the People's Committee of Ta Phin commune - said that regarding the site clearance budget, the Department of Finance has submitted it to the People's Committee of Lao Cai province for approval. As for clearing the soil and rocks, the Sa Pa BOT station's operation unit has been clearing the road since August 21, and the people have not been afraid since then.
According to Mr. Quy, the weather in Sa Pa has been rainy and damp recently, so the land is barren, the unit has not yet cleared it, now it can do it.
Some images recorded on October 29:
