Three weak bridges on Provincial Road 3 need to be upgraded and repaired soon.

The bridge is weak, but always has to carry a large number of cars passing through.

Risk of insecurity

According to our records, TL3 route is about 10km long, starting point connecting National Highway 1 in Thanh Thuy ward and ending point in Quang Xuyen village, Phu Ho commune. On this route, the daily traffic volume is quite high, especially small trucks, passenger cars and vehicles serving agricultural production. However, due to the narrow road, many sections of the road surface are damaged and have potholes, causing difficulties for traffic, especially when two cars avoid each other.

On the TL3 route, there are currently three bridges: Loi Nong, Nhu Y, Trung Chanh, all of which have been in use for many years without significant investment or upgrade. Of these, Loi Nong Bridge (Thanh Thuy Ward) has a weak structure, many items are seriously degraded, the bridge wall is damaged, the bridge foundation is peeling, the bridge girder is rusty, and the bridge abutment is cracked. The maintenance unit had to temporarily reinforce and install a 5-ton load limit sign to prevent heavy trucks from passing through and prevent accidents.

Nhu Y Bridge (Phu Ho Commune) is about 20m long and 5m wide. The abutments on both sides have many cracks and peeling concrete, posing a risk of subsidence. Trung Chanh Bridge (Phu Ho Commune) is smaller, 10m long and 5m wide, with weak abutments and a degraded bridge surface.

Mr. Bui Quang Do in Trung Chanh village said: “I have lived here for a long time and can clearly see that the bridge has deteriorated over the years. We really hope that the authorities will soon invest in a new one or upgrade it so that we can travel with peace of mind, especially during the rainy and stormy season.”

Upgrade soon

Residents living along TL3 said that upgrading and expanding the three weak bridges and the entire TL3 route have been proposed many times during voter meetings. However, to date, the relevant agencies and local authorities have not yet implemented the upgrading and expansion. This not only affects daily travel needs, but also impacts the transportation of goods, trade and safety during the rainy season.

Mr. Nguyen Van Chinh, Chairman of Phu Ho Commune People's Committee, informed: TL3 route through the commune is about 7km long, including two bridges Nhu Y and Trung Chanh, which are seriously degraded. The locality has repeatedly reported and proposed that the city soon allocate capital to upgrade, repair, and expand the bridge and road surfaces, ensuring the entire route is synchronous. Based on voters' feedback, Hue City has also issued a document directing to include TL3 route in the city's public investment portfolio in the coming period. When approved by Hue City People's Council, the renovation, repair or construction of new bridges and roads will be implemented.

Regarding these 3 bridges, previously, the Department of Transport (now the Department of Construction) also conducted a review and inspection of the local bridge system. Based on the actual inspection, it was found that these 3 bridges were degraded and weak, so the department proposed that the Provincial People's Committee (now the Hue City People's Committee) consider early renovation of Loi Nong Bridge (Km2+100), Nhu Y Bridge (Km2+900) and Trung Chanh Bridge (Km3+250) on TL3.

To thoroughly resolve the deterioration of the three weak bridges on TL3, it is necessary to implement synchronous solutions. In particular, Hue City needs to soon put the project to upgrade TL3 and the three weak bridges into the priority list of the medium-term public investment plan for the period 2025 - 2030. This helps ensure a stable source of capital, avoiding temporary and fragmented repairs.

In addition, it is also necessary to carefully survey the current situation to choose a suitable upgrade or new construction plan, ensuring both technical factors, load capacity, aesthetics and the ability to withstand natural disasters. The bridge deck should be widened, and the road surface at both ends of the bridge should be improved to ensure traffic safety. The bridge repair needs to be associated with upgrading the entire TL3 road surface, thoroughly handling damaged spots, potholes, widening narrow sections of road, installing a system of signs, and speed bumps in densely populated areas should also be taken into account.

Before a new investment project, the relevant departments need to maintain regular inspections and temporarily reinforce severely degraded areas; at the same time, limit the load and speed of the bridge to ensure safety. In addition to the city budget, it is possible to mobilize support capital from the Central Government, national target programs, socialized capital or public-private partnerships to speed up the implementation progress.

TL3 route not only serves the travel needs of people in Thanh Thuy and Phu Ho communes and wards, but also connects production and commercial areas with National Highway 1 and the main traffic routes of Hue City. Upgrading 3 weak bridges and the entire route will help reduce congestion, shorten the time for transporting goods, improve production and business efficiency, and ensure traffic safety, especially during the rainy and stormy season.