All efforts to overcome landslides on National Highway 16

Returning to Highway 16 in mid-August, the flood scene was still in disarray. Along the route, a series of landslides still existed. Many sections of the negative slope were eroded, creating deep, potentially dangerous “frog jaws”. Although authorities had temporarily leveled the road, most of it was only open to one lane of traffic.

Mr. Le Hong Thai - Chairman of Nhon Mai Commune People's Committee said that the National Highway passing through the commune is more than 44 km long, an important traffic artery for the people. The recent historic flood caused dozens of landslides, which were just repaired, but on August 16, heavy rain continued to cause traffic jams in Xoi Voi and Huoi To 1 villages. Many vehicles got stuck and had to ask for support from the authorities and traffic forces.

In My Ly commune, the situation is similar. Although the first step has been basically handled to clear the route, soil and rocks continue to flow down, causing local congestion. The traffic management unit is forced to arrange forces and machinery to be on duty 24/7 to promptly handle new landslides.

Mr. Hoang Quoc Truong - Director of Nghe An Road Maintenance Management Board said that the recent heavy rain has caused 3 new landslides on National Highway 16, including 2 in Nhon Mai commune and 1 in My Ly commune. Although 6 construction units and many machines were mobilized, the prolonged rain caused mud to continuously flow down, causing disruptions. The units have put up warning ropes, advising people to limit their movement through dangerous areas.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Khai - engineer of Trung Tin Joint Stock Company (construction unit) said that since July 23, the unit has mobilized more than 20 excavators, divided into many construction teams working day and night. The immediate priority is to clear the road to 1 lane, then reinforce the severe landslides. The total volume of soil and rock processed to date has exceeded 100,000 m³.

However, the rugged mountainous terrain, the roads deep in the forest, and the prolonged heavy rain made the repair very difficult. “There were places where we had just finished leveling, but then it rained again, so we had to start over,” said engineer Khai.

According to the Department of Construction, there are 184 landslides along National Highway 16, of which 7 are completely broken. To date, forces have handled more than 466,000 m³ of soil and rock, basically overcoming many large and small landslides. In the sections that have been opened to traffic, warning systems and temporary barriers have been installed to guide vehicles to travel safely.

In the long term, the solution requires a fundamental solution, solidifying the entire route. It is estimated that the necessary budget for steps 1 and 2 to repair the traffic infrastructure on National Highway 16 is about 100 billion VND.