VnExpress International
The most read Vietnamese newspaper
Vietnamese Edition
| Contact us | Follow us on       
News Politics Education Environment Traffic Crime Brainteaser
reddit Share via X Print

10 years on, Mekong Delta expressway overload poses safety hazard

By Quynh Tran    July 23, 2020 | 02:01 am PT
After a decade, HCMC-Trung Luong Expressway, the only one serving the Mekong Delta, faces deterioration, including cracks, potholes and subsidence.
The 62-km expressway costing VND10 trillion ($431.5 million) opened to traffic in 2010, helping cut travel time between HCMC and Mekong Delta provinces. After 10 years of use, the expressway has been seriously downgraded with local authorities blaming the increasing volume of vehicles traveling on it for the deterioration. Repair work on the expressway is expected to start from late this month and it would take around three months for completion at a cost of VND22 billion ($948,000).

The 62-km expressway costing VND10 trillion ($431.5 million) opened to traffic in 2010, cut travel time between HCMC and Mekong Delta provinces. After 10 years, it has been seriously downgraded with local authorities blaming the increasing volume of vehicles traveling along the route for its deterioration.
Repair work on some damaged sections of the expressway is expected to start later this month, taking around three months to complete at a cost of VND22 billion ($948,000).
At the section through Than Cuu Nghia Commune in Chau Thanh District of Tien Giang Province, the end point of the expressway, there were many cracks and damaged road surface sections. The repair work would be carried out at night to avoid affecting residents travel.

The section passing through Than Cuu Nghia Commune in Chau Thanh District of Tien Giang Province has experienced significant cracking and damage to its surface. As planned, the construction unit would mend damaged sections as well as repair drainage systems at night to avoid affecting daytime traffic flow.
Protrusions about four meters higher than above the expressways road surface are seen on the part through Tam Hiep Commune in Tien Giang, forming obstacles for drivers.

Protrusions about four meters higher than the expressway surface are seen along the section bisecting Tam Hiep Commune in Tien Giang, forming obstacles for drivers.
A barrier with local roads near the damaged Than Cuu Nghia toll station.

A barrier separating the expressway from a secondary road near a toll station in Tien Giang is also badly damaged.
A road divider bar at the section near a rest stop station in Thu Thua District of Long An Province is deformed due to car collision.

A road barrier near a rest stop in Thu Thua District of Long An Province is deformed due to collision.
On the HCMC – Trung Luong expressway, a highway fence runs along the road. This is a fence designed to completely isolate public roads and highways so that people, vehicles and animals are not allowed to go into the highway to ensure traffic safety.However, over the years, some parts of the fence were damaged and dismantled to let people in and out of the expressway.There were 158 traffic accidents on the expressway, killing nine people and injuring 14 last year. More than 240 violations committed by motorbike drivers occurred last year. according to official statistics.

A ripped fence, designed to keep pedestrians, vehicles, and animals, from accessing HCMC – Trung Luong Expressway.
Last year, 158 traffic accidents have occurred along the route, killing nine and injuring 14. Police also recorded more than 240 incidents in which motorbikes encroached onto the expressway, which is open only for automobiles.
[Caption]aa

A man sneaks through the fence to access the expressway and gather plastic water bottles discarded by drivers and passengers. Nearby residents often cut through the barrier to collect grass from the corridor or catch a bus regardless of safety concerns.
[Caption]aa

A sewer seerving a section through My Yen Commune in Long An Province is blocked with garbage. High-speed corridors in this area have been transformed into various business services, including car repair shops (pictured).
[Caption]aa

Corridors in Long An Province are used to raise ducks, cows or grow vegetables.
[Caption]aa

The expressway has two main toll stations, one at the beginning in HCMC’s Binh Chanh District and the other at its end in Tien Giang Province’s Chau Thanh District. Starting January 1, 2019, HCMC-Trung Luong Expressway temporarily suspended toll fees.
According to official data, the number of vehicles travelling along the expressway increased 31 percent after that, often hitting over 51,000 a day.
 
 
go to top