Vietnam’s expressway plagued with defects soon after opening

A deformed section of National Highway 1. Photo credit: Tuoi Tre

Defects have appeared on various sections of a major expressway in central Vietnam soon after they were opened to traffic, with hot weather and overloaded trucks being blamed for the problem.

The section of National Highway 1 that goes from Nghe An’s Dien Chau Town to Quan Hanh Town has sunk by one to two centimeters at some spots, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported.

The section was opened to traffic on May 28 following an upgrade.

Dinh Dang Khanh, deputy director of the project’s management board, told Tuoi Tre they are still fixing the depression issues.

“Asphalt can only endure the maximum temperature of 60 degrees Celsius; meanwhile, the heat wave has lasted in around one month, bringing the road surface temperature to 73 degrees Celsius at some spots,” he said.

Khanh also blamed overload trucks for causing the problem.

Another section of National Highway 1 through Ha Tinh Province’s Ky Anh District also sank by two to six centimeters, with the depression stretching for several kilometers.

The project to upgrade this 80-km section finished five months ago. The investors of the project are Ha Tinh Province’s Department of Transport and the Ministry of Transport’s Traffic Safety Management Board.

Truong Duc Lien, a representative of the board, also blamed the hot weather and overloaded trucks, mostly carrying rocks from a nearby rock mine.

He said the investors are still fixing the road.

The third section of the National Highway with defects is the one through Thua Thien-Hue Province’s Phong Dien District.

Just two months after opening to traffic, the road has sunk by up to two centimeters.

Trung Phuong, a private company that invested in the project, said the subsidence on the asphalt-covered road was caused by high temperature in the summer.

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