Due to the impact of storm No. 3 in early September 2024, causing prolonged heavy rain, the water level on the Chay River rose, more than 10 sails and sand boats drifting freely collided strongly with the to Mau bridge piers and girders on Provincial Road 171 (Khanh Hoa - Minh Xuan), causing subsidence and being stuck under the bridge, seriously affecting waterway traffic.
The collision also left cracks on the bridge girder and railings to form concrete bridges, affecting the quality of the bridge girder.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy (To Mau commune, Luc Yen district) said that this is a single-track bridge connecting people with Yen The town ( Luc Yen district) and vice versa. Fortunately, these ships only slightly collided with the bridge and were located in the corner, so by early October, traffic through the bridge was normal. The salvage of these ships helps people feel secure when the flood season comes.
Regarding this issue, on April 22, speaking with a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Trong Tien - Director of the Road Maintenance Management Board of Yen Bai province - said: "As soon as the incident was discovered, the authorities issued three widely notified notices to find owners, managers or legal users of the above waterway vehicles. However, there is currently no organization or individual to confirm ownership.
After conducting an inspection of the structure of the To Mau bridge span and piers, the Department of Construction of Yen Bai province confirmed that the bridge meets safety conditions for waterway traffic. On that basis, the Department decided to allow the Yen Bai Provincial Road Maintenance Management Board to coordinate with specialized contractors to salvage sunken and stranded ships to ensure flow before the rainy and flood season.
According to Mr. Tien, the salvage will be carried out from mid-April 2025, lasting about 1 month, with an estimated cost of more than 1 billion VND. Currently, the contractor is focusing on machinery, equipment and human resources to salvage the stranded shipwrecks.
A representative of Hai Nga Transport Company Limited - the unit carrying out the salvage - said that because the ships had sunk for a long time, the mud and soil were thick, causing many difficulties in the salvage process. Many parts of the ship were damaged and no longer intact. This company had to mobilize more than 40 workers, along with many crane equipment and heavy-duty machinery to perform.
The unit prioritizes ensuring absolute safety for the bridge and the route, while restoring smooth flow this April, the representative added.
After the salvage, the entire ship's body will be gathered to the wharf designated by the Management Board to implement the volume determination. Next, the province will organize the auction of vehicles in accordance with the law on the immortal property. All the proceeds from the auction will be submitted to the state budget.
The old To Mau bridge across the Chay river connecting To Mau and Tan Linh communes of Luc Yen - Yen Bai district, started construction in 1988 and was put into use in 1991. After more than 30 years of use, the bridge has become narrow and degraded, affecting the circulation of vehicles on Provincial Road 171.
The new To Mau Bridge is adjacent to the old To Mau Bridge upstream of the Chay River, invested in construction with a cost of 115 billion VND. The project started in January 2023 by a joint venture of TLK Transport Construction Investment Company Limited and Hiep Phu Company Limited, the bridge was technically opened to traffic at the end of December 2023.
