On February 7th, representatives from the management and operation unit of the National Route 45 – Nghi Son Expressway stated that the Office of Highway Management II.1, under the Zone II Highway Administration of the Vietnam Road Administration (VVDI), has issued a directive requesting Project Management Board 2 (Ministry of Transport) to repair and fix the failed expansion joints on the expressway passing through Thanh Hoa province.
“The VVDI also issued urgent instructions, requiring all other units to conduct thorough inspections along the route. Any issues found must be repaired immediately, without waiting for them to worsen,” the representative said.
Failed expansion joint on the highway (Photo: Quang De).
According to the directive from the Office of Highway Management II.1, the project component for constructing the section of National Route 45 – Nghi Son is part of the construction of several segments of the North-South Eastern Expressway Phase 2 (2017-2020). Project Management Board 2 serves as the principal investor for this project.
This project was handed over and accepted for operation on June 20, 2024, and is currently within its warranty period.
During the management and monitoring process, it was observed at kilometer 341+182, near Trung Chinh commune, Nong Cong district, that the expansion joint on the northern abutment was damaged, with concrete cracking and the toothed steel expansion plate detaching from its position, measuring 2 meters in size, posing a significant traffic safety risk.
The Office of Highway Management II.1 requested Project Management Board 2 to instruct the contractor to urgently repair and fix the aforementioned damages before February 14th.
Vehicles suffering tire blowouts after the expansion joint failure (Photo: Quang De).
Repairs must meet technical requirements and ensure structural safety as well as traffic safety during the operational use of the highway.
Prior to implementing repairs, Project Management Board 2 and the contractor must develop a repair plan, including timelines and traffic safety measures, and submit these to the Traffic Police Department C08 and related units.
Temporary repairs to the expansion joint were carried out overnight on February 6th (Photo: Hoang Thuan).
Previously, as reported by Dan Tri, around 5:40 PM on February 6th, the expansion joint on the National Route 45 – Nghi Son Expressway, near Trung Chinh commune, Nong Cong district, Thanh Hoa province, detached, causing multiple vehicles to suffer tire blowouts.
Following the incident, the management and operation unit of the expressway deployed emergency forces to carry out temporary repairs, ensuring safe passage for traffic.
