The Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot Expressway Project with a total investment of more than VND6,100 billion is identified as one of the main expressways connecting the Central Highlands with the Central Coast.
Currently, phase 1 of this project is facing difficulties due to delays in site clearance and relocation of high-voltage power lines.
It is worth mentioning that at the meeting on March 17, 2025, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long requested the Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee to strengthen propaganda and mobilize people to quickly hand over the site before March 31.
However, up to now, the residential power line running through the construction site has not been relocated, causing difficulties for construction. At the construction site, contractors have to use bamboo to support the line to ensure the movement of vehicles.
According to the explanation from the relevant parties, the delay in relocating the line is due to the initial estimate being inadequate when not taking into account the line behind the meters owned by the people.
And the fault was determined to stem from the Project Management Board of the old Krong Pac district, in the context that the local administrative apparatus had undergone a merger. The new plan is being re-established and additional funding is being submitted.
However, regardless of the cause, it cannot be denied that this is a manifestation of the thinking and management capacity of the project that is still inadequate, not keeping up with the requirements of key projects.
If there are no fundamental and thorough solutions, "small problems" such as an electric power line, a landmark, or a tree can also hinder a large traffic project.
Currently, the country has a series of key transport projects being implemented. And if each locality has a few "technical problems" and then has to use bamboo to block this type of power line, the total damage to investment progress and efficiency will be huge.
A section of power line not only slows down the project for a few days or a few weeks, but can lead to a series of consequences such as capital increase, cost creation, loss of regional connection opportunities and reduced efficiency of the entire traffic axis.
From the incident in Dak Lak, we can draw a profound lesson: For national key projects, it is impossible to apply term thinking or local, failed methods. It is impossible to let seemingly small "technical problems" delay an entire strategic project.
National highways need to be managed with a unified vision from the central to local levels, with a clear coordination mechanism, specifically decentralized responsibilities, and especially the ability to organize flexible and proactive construction. Each stage, from site clearance to relocation of technical infrastructure, must be carefully prepared, synchronously and on schedule.
To do so, it is necessary to improve the quality of project management work and tighten the responsibility of each link in the system. Bamboo trees against power lines on the Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot expressway are not only an inadequacy in management, but also an obstacle for a development vision.
