In-depth
Thang Long Bridge continues deteriorating
  • | tienphong, dtinews.vn | June 28, 2019 10:40 AM
Hanoi’s iconic Thang Long Bridge continues deteriorating due to surface damage.


  

Thang Long Bridge continues deteriorating


As of June 20, new damage such as cracks and potholes on the surface of the bridge were fixed. Tran Hung Ha from the Directorate for Road of Vietnam said they had to repair the bridge more frequently since early 2019 due to constant rains and severe heat waves.

When the temperature in Hanoi reached 40 degrees in the first half of June, the asphalt was damaged more often and even more potholes appeared. June’s repair costs alone outstripped the repair budget for the year. For 2019, the Directorate for Road of Vietnam approved a VND1.6bn (USD68,700) package for Thang Long Bridge repair. However, it was all used up in just five months. They owe money to the contractors for the repair work in June.

Since early 2019 to the end of May, they had repaired over 1,200 square metres of the bridge surface. This number in the first half of June was over 500 square metres.

Thang Long Bridge was put into use in 1985. Since 2009, the bridge began showing signs of deterioration and has been repaired continually. Two repair projects that cost over VND100bn (USD4.3m) each had been carried out before.

More than 10,500 square metres, or 40% of the total bridge surface, have been repaired. Starting from 2012, the Ministry of Transport agreed to repair the bridge annually instead of setting up huge projects. The annual cost to repair 3.3km was VND1.5bn which is 11 times higher than the repair and maintenance cost of the Vo Van Kiet route which includes Van Tri, Ca Lo and Hai Boi bridges.

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