Take advantage of every sunny day to speed up construction

Along National Highway 24 through Ba To district, Quang Ngai, after completing the drainage canal and widening the roadside, the contractor accelerated the asphalt paving work.

Along the more than 2km long route, dozens of equipment such as asphalt trucks, road rollers, and asphalt spreaders were fully arranged by the contractor to speed up the construction. Each batch of asphalt was spread, and the road roller moved forward to compact it. Just like that, a smooth road surface appeared to replace the old, degraded roadbed.

Previously, to prepare for asphalt concrete work as designed, the contractor had to excavate the old 18cm thick road surface and roll crushed stone to ensure a solid roadbed.

Not far from the section passing Km 33+700, the construction site of the longitudinal drainage canal is speeding up the digging of ditches and paving. After each section of the canal is paved, the expanded roadside is also blown clean and poured with concrete.

A representative of Thanh Do Contractor, the construction unit, said that the project started in the rainy season, while the workload on the nearly 7km long route was quite large. Furthermore, the project was both under construction and in operation, so there were certain difficulties.

"In the past few days, the weather has been sunny, so we have mobilized maximum equipment and personnel to step up dust blowing and asphalt paving. The construction method is rolling, paving as much as there is land available," said a contractor representative.

It is known that the project to repair the road surface, harden the longitudinal drainage ditches and the traffic safety system on National Highway 24 from Km 32 - Km 39+500 was approved for investment in early November by the Vietnam Road Administration. The Quang Ngai Department of Transport was assigned as the investor.

A representative of the Quang Ngai Department of Transport said that the project's construction progress has reached about 70%. With favorable weather conditions like the past few days and the contractor's capacity, the project is likely to be completed before Tet.

Less worry about traffic accidents

National Highway 24 is a vital traffic route connecting the Northern Central Highlands provinces with the coastal plain.

Recently, the Ministry of Transport has allocated investment capital to upgrade and expand some sections of the route, bringing about many clear changes in the shape of the route. In particular, the section through Quang Ngai province has been upgraded and expanded from Km0-Km32 and the section through Kon Tum province is 31km long.

However, the remaining 62km section from Ba To town to Konplong district is still an old roadbed built a long time ago, with a narrow and degraded cross-section, causing traffic safety problems.

Therefore, the Ministry of Transport's allocation of capital for maintenance, asphalt pavement, hardening of curbs and drainage systems along the road has gradually helped stabilize the current status of National Highway 24, ensure traffic safety and create a new look.

Records of the basically completed sections of the road show that the road surface of National Highway 24 has been covered with a flat, smooth "new coat", allowing vehicles to move smoothly. In addition, the hardened pavement has expanded the cross-section of the road from 6m to more than 8m.

Mr. Pham Van Nau, Ba To commune, who regularly travels on the route, expressed his joy when National Highway 24 was maintained and repaired.

Mr. Nau said that the road used to be 6m wide, the sidewalk was made of dirt so trees grew wildly. The roadbed was damaged, there were many potholes, and accidents happened frequently.

"Now the road has been rebuilt to be wide and smooth. The drainage canal has also been repaired, so the road is no longer flooded during heavy rains.

"The road is nice, people have less worries about accidents, especially students who travel every day," said Mr. Nau.

Speaking to Giao thong Newspaper, Mr. Pham Giang Nam, Vice Chairman of Ba To District People's Committee, said that the section of National Highway 24 from Ba To town to the top of Vi O Lac Pass through the district has not been upgraded or expanded. Therefore, the Ministry of Transport's allocation of capital to maintain and repair the road surface, invest in hardening the roadside, and drainage channels along major damaged areas is very encouraging.

"The completed sections will create a new look for the locality and contribute to ensuring traffic safety in the district," said Mr. Giang.