Recently, Lao Dong e-newspaper published an article "Degraded iron bridge in Ninh Binh, authorities request to stop traffic". The article reflects the iron bridge across the Quan Lieu canal in Nghia Son commune, Ninh Binh province, which was installed in 2004 with used steel trusses and has been degraded for many years. This is a bridge that used to serve the travel of hundreds of households on both sides of the canal in Quan Lieu and Tay Son villages (formerly hamlets 5, 6 and 7).
To ensure safety for people, local authorities have set up barriers and recommended stopping traffic.
On July 23, Nghia Son Commune People's Committee had a citizen reception to inform and exchange information with people related to the plan to handle the iron bridge across the Quan Lieu canal.
At the exchange with people representing 361 households who had opinions about the iron bridge, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Liem - Chairman of Nghia Son Commune People's Committee - said that after receiving people's petitions about repairing and upgrading the iron bridge across the Quan Lieu canal, the locality reported the current situation and proposed a handling plan to the Department of Construction. Based on the guidance of the department, the commune has planned to hire a specialized unit to inspect and evaluate the safety and remaining quality of the project as a basis for selecting a handling plan.
After having the inspection results, if the bridge is determined to no longer be safe and cannot be repaired or repaired, the locality will implement procedures to dismantle it to ensure safety for people, especially during the rainy and storm season.
In addition, this iron bridge is located between two existing bridges, each bridgehead is only about 1km away, so it still ensures regional traffic connection through the canal.
The Chairman of Nghia Son Commune People's Committee further informed that the Quan Lieu canal is a national inland waterway connecting the Day River with the Ninh Co River, and is also an important flood drainage corridor of the area. Due to the frequent circulation of large tonnage ships, the investment in building a new bridge must meet technical requirements for waterway traffic and be appraised and approved by competent authorities according to regulations, so the locality cannot decide on investment on its own.
In the long term, the locality said that the Hung Son inter-commune road project connecting National Highway 37B with Provincial Road 490C has been included in the medium-term public investment plan for the 2026 - 2030 period of Ninh Binh province. When the project is implemented, the Quan Lieu canal overpass will be invested and built synchronously along the entire route, contributing to meeting travel needs and ensuring traffic safety for people.
Representing 361 households with petitions related to the iron bridge across the Quan Lieu canal, Mr. Nguyen Van Binh (Tay Son village, Nghia Son commune) said that the bridge has seriously deteriorated for many years, so people understand and agree with the government's policy on ensuring safety.
If the inspection results show that the bridge is no longer eligible for use and must be dismantled, we fully support it. However, people also hope that the authorities at all levels will soon pay attention to and study investing in building a new bridge to make travel more convenient and safer," Mr. Binh shared.
