No delay in opening the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway to traffic

Dong Nai will not change the target of opening Component Project 1 of the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway to traffic by the end of this April. At the same time, the province also requires the investor and contractors to accelerate construction to meet this target.

Construction of Component Project 1 of the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway. Photo: Pham Tung

Opening to traffic by the end of April is feasible

Component Project 1 of the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway has a length of 16km. This is a component project implemented by Dong Nai Province.

According to the Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board, as of early April, the construction output of the two construction packages of the project reached nearly VND2 trillion, achieving nearly 80% of the signed contract value. Of which, for construction package No. 18, the contractor consortium has completed nearly 83% of the signed contract value. For construction package No. 21, the contractor consortium has completed nearly 77% of the signed contract value. Up to now, along the entire route, 12km have been paved with asphalt concrete by contractors.

Deputy Director of the Department of Construction Duong Van Hieu said: Through on-site inspections, the unit found that the construction pace of contractors remains slow. The reason is the high increase in fuel and material prices, especially the shortage of asphalt concrete supply.

Hieu added that the project currently has several “bottlenecks” that risk delaying the schedule for putting the project into operation as planned. Accordingly, the approach road sections and overpasses crossing Phung Hung Street and Ham Nghi Street, constructed by contractors Trung Nam Construction and Engineering Corporation and 68 Trading Construction and Service Joint Stock Company, have been slow, leading to delays in the construction of the main route section under the bridges.

At the same time, at the intersection around poles No. 2-3 of the 110kV power lines An Phuoc - Tam Phuoc and Tam Phuoc - Giang Dien with the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway (km5+260), the electrical safety clearance is insufficient, preventing the construction unit from carrying out the cement-treated crushed stone base (CTB) and asphalt concrete pavement layers.

According to Dinh Tien Hai, Director of the Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board, in recent times, under the urging of provincial leaders, the investor and contractors have accelerated construction progress. At present, the main route of the project is basically ensuring the completion schedule. The main obstacles lie in the two overpass structures. “Given the current situation, opening the project to traffic by the end of April is feasible”, Dinh Tien Hai assessed.

Provincial Party Committee member and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Ho Van Ha requested the Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board to assign deputy directors to be specifically responsible for each construction package of the project. Any package that fails to meet the schedule, the person in charge must be held accountable.

Assessing the completion capability of each contractor

Tran Van Pha, representative of contractor Construction Corporation No.1 - JSC (CC1), which is implementing construction package No. 21 of Component Project 1 of the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway, said: According to the plan, the unit will complete the asphalt concrete pavement layer by April 22. At the same time, it will complete traffic safety items by April 25. Therefore, CC1 is committed to completing the target of opening its constructed section to traffic by the end of April. “CC1 is mobilizing all resources for construction, while materials for traffic safety items are also being transported to the site for parallel installation”, Pha said.

Similarly, a representative of contractor Truong Son Construction Corporation was also committed to completing construction to ensure the target of opening to traffic by the end of April.

Meanwhile, representatives of contractors such as Trung Nam Construction and Engineering Corporation and 68 Trading Construction and Service Joint Stock Company said they will gather resources to accelerate progress, especially the two overpass items, to ensure the project’s traffic opening schedule. “Currently, the unit is also carrying out night construction to accelerate the progress of project items”, a representative of Trung Nam Construction and Engineering Corporation said.

Previously, during a field inspection of the project construction site on April 9, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Ut said: Dong Nai sets the target of completing and opening Component Project 1 of the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway to traffic by the end of April. Therefore, the Provincial People’s Committee assigns the investor, the Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board, to work with contractors. “Good performers will continue to be supported; those who fail to meet requirements must have their contracts decisively terminated, and other units will be brought in to support. The situation of sluggish construction cannot be allowed to continue,” emphasized Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Ut.

According to Provincial Party Committee member and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Ho Van Ha, Dong Nai sets the target of not delaying the project’s traffic opening date. Therefore, the Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board must work closely with each contractor to assess the completion capability of each contractor.

By Pham Tung - Translated by Diec Quyen,  Thu Ha