Major Hanoi bridge undergoes damage inspection before major renovation

It is expected that by the end of December, the inspections will be completed and the company can make a plan to restore it.

More than 95,000 vehicles cross the bridge every day, much higher than its original capacity of 7,000 vehicles a day, according the Hanoi Transport Project Joint Stock Company, which manages the bridge.

The damage and deterioration of the bridge has been very evident of late. From Long Bien District to the city center, expansion joint No. 7 has cracked with a width of about 5 cm. Next to it, another expansion joint protrudes above the road surface, forming a ledge, forcing many passers-by to slow down suddenly.

Expansion joint No. 7 of Hanoi's Chuong Duong bridge has cracked with a width of about 5 cm. Photo by VnExpress/Pham Chieu

Do Thi Thanh Thuy, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Transport Project Joint Stock Company, said the bridge has 11 expansion joints, eight of which have been repaired previously, leaving the remaining three unrepaired.

On the ground, the asphalt layer has peeled and cracked in many spots.

"I pass here often and feel very uncomfortable every time, because the motorbike bounces high, and I can fall easily," said Nguyen Van Tu, a Long Bien District resident.

The bridge's railing is also rusty.

Connecting the districts of Hoan Kiem and Long Bien, the Chuong Duong Bridge is 1,230 meters long with four two-way traffic lanes.

Built 1983 to 1986, the bridge was the first big one in Vietnam to be designed and built without technical assistance from foreign experts.