Don't "patchwork" repairs to Highway 51, but need a long-term solution

National Highway 51 through Long Hung Ward is degraded with many dangerous potholes. Photo: Dang Tung

The Board of Directors proposed that the repair work should be carried out with good construction quality, with close supervision and especially with a long-term plan to ensure that National Highway 51 will not recur in a state of deterioration after a short period of time.

Degraded, frequent traffic jams

It is expected that this July, Project Management Board 8 (Vietnam Road Administration, Ministry of Construction ) will repair many damaged and degraded locations on National Highway 51 through Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City. This is a vital route for travel and trade between the two localities. In particular, this is also the route connecting Cai Mep - Thi Vai Port, Long Thanh International Airport, Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway, industrial parks, etc. However, after many repairs, this route still frequently shows signs of deterioration in some sections, causing many difficulties for people and vehicles participating in traffic.

Sharing with Dong Nai Newspaper, many road users said that many road sections have seriously degraded, making traffic difficult and dangerous, such as: the intersections through Long Hung ward and Phuoc Tan ward are "hot spots" where traffic collisions often occur due to potholes and uneven road surfaces.

Commenting on the news that many locations on National Highway 51 through Dong Nai are expected to be repaired in July 2025 on Facebook of Dong Nai Newspaper, Facebook account Ho Sanh wrote: "The road is so bad, there is nothing to describe it." Facebook account Viet Hai expressed his indignation: "The road is so dilapidated, it has not been repaired for 2-3 years. The section of Song Buong bridge stretches up to Gate 11."

In fact, Highway 51 has not been upgraded or repaired properly for a long time, causing many sections of the road to be severely damaged. The road sections are littered with potholes, making it difficult for vehicles to travel. In addition, the traffic volume on Highway 51 is high, especially during rush hours and weekends, leading to overloading and traffic jams, causing frustration for road users...

"Do it again, don't fix it!"

Many Facebook accounts believe that if this repair work stops at temporary repairs, "patching" each section, it will not solve the long-term deterioration of the road. "Redo it, not fix it" - Facebook account Nguyen Dang Tang commented. Facebook account Trung Tran Bao said: "The entire route needs to be re-asphalted" to avoid the situation of repairs only to continue to deteriorate in a short time.

Regarding the construction organization plan, ensuring traffic safety when maintaining and repairing some locations on National Highway 51, Road Management Area IV (Vietnam Road Administration, Ministry of Construction) requested Project Management Board 8 to organize the inspection and close supervision of construction items in accordance with approved design documents. Work to ensure traffic safety, labor safety, environmental sanitation, strictly comply with current procedures and regulations

Sharing the same opinion, Facebook account Linh Dan wrote: “Repairing the entire route is the right thing to do.” This is a noteworthy opinion, because if only some sections of the route are repaired, the deterioration will recur very quickly, causing waste and not bringing long-term effectiveness.

In addition, one of the issues that many investors emphasized was construction supervision and quality assurance. Facebook account Hoan Le Khac suggested: "We hope that agencies and sectors will closely monitor this issue; repairs should have construction supervision to avoid waste and sloppy construction."

In fact, in any project, strict supervision of construction and compliance with procedures and regulations are important factors to ensure the quality of the repair work. Without strict supervision, the repair will not achieve its long-term goals and quality problems will continue to recur, increasing the burden on the people and the state budget.

Kim Lieu

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/202507/dung-chap-va-sua-chua-quoc-lo-51-ma-can-co-giai-phap-lau-dai-2dc2b1b/