No construction but still barricading and occupying the road

After more than a year of barricading and leaving the area vacant without construction, from mid-March 2024, the Hanoi Department of Transport granted a license to the joint venture of Khanh An Construction Investment Joint Stock Company and Song Da 9 Joint Stock Company to construct some items of the Yen Xa Wastewater Plant project, which will last until September 2024 on Vu Trong Khanh Street (Ha Dong, Hanoi).

There would be nothing to say if the contractor was determined to speed up the progress, mobilize workers, and bring in machinery to construct. However, in 2 days (June 11 - June 12), along the route, Giao thong Newspaper reporters recorded 8 bunker locations fenced off by the contractor, occupying 2/3 of the road surface. The area for vehicles to pass through is only 3 - 6m wide.

It is worth mentioning that only one bunker at the Vu Trong Khanh - Nguyen Van Loc intersection is under construction. The rest are fenced off and occupying the road, and have been left empty for many months now.

At 8am on June 12, from Tran Phu Street to Vu Trong Khanh Street, cars and motorbikes had to line up and move slowly through each "bunker". Many trucks carrying goods, even small ones, had to turn around and move to another road.

"It has been a difficult and arduous journey for traffic participants and businesses on the road for over 2 years, but looking at many locations where the barriers are not being constructed, we feel very sorry, not knowing when the project will be completed," said Ms. Nguyen Thu Lan, a resident of Vu Trong Khanh Street, Ha Dong.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Trang, who often travels through the route, said: "The "bunkers" were built 2 years ago, then left abandoned for a whole year without doing anything. As soon as we saw the workers come back to work, they only concentrated on one location of the bunker, the remaining locations that were not under construction were still barricaded and occupying the road, making us miserable every day without knowing when they would be removed."

No construction, barriers must be removed for people to pass through.

According to information from Giao thong Newspaper, the project package No. 4 to build a sewer system for part of Ha Dong area and the new urban area of ​​Yen Xa Wastewater System project (Thanh Tri, Hanoi) is located on Vu Trong Khanh street (Mo Lao ward, Ha Dong district, Hanoi) invested by the Management Board of Investment Projects for Construction of Water Supply, Drainage and Environment Works of Hanoi City (now the Management Board of Investment Projects for Construction of Technical Infrastructure and Agriculture Works of Hanoi City).

The main contractor of package No. 4 to build a sewer system for part of the Ha Dong area and the new urban area of ​​the Yen Xa Wastewater System project is a joint venture between Khanh An Construction Investment Joint Stock Company and Song Da 9 Joint Stock Company.

Package No. 4, construction items of stations 42.0 to 42.11 passing through Ha Dong district, will resume construction from March 2024 and is expected to be completed in September 2024.

Package No. 4 to build a sewer system for part of Ha Dong area and the new urban area under the Yen Xa Wastewater Treatment System project in Hanoi city has a total value of 834 billion VND, the ODA loan sponsor is the Japan International Cooperation Bank (JICA).

A representative of the Hanoi Department of Transport said that they have requested the project investor and contractors to seriously fulfill their commitments, remove barriers at completed construction sites, and speed up the construction progress.

"On the road, there are 3 positions of barricades that have just been requested by the Hanoi Department of Transport to be removed when the contractor is not working to ensure traffic safety for people traveling. Currently, all 3 positions have been filled with manholes by the contractor, creating a smooth surface for people to move," he said.

Traffic expert Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy said that erecting barriers on the road to serve the construction of infrastructure works is inevitable and causes traffic obstruction. However, erecting barriers without constructing, not implementing regulations on ensuring order and traffic safety is irresponsible. At the locations of barriers on Vu Trong Khanh Street, there were no construction unit personnel participating in guiding and directing traffic, and the warning system was very rudimentary.

A representative of Traffic Police Team No. 7, Traffic Police Department, Hanoi City Police said: The route connects main roads so it is crowded with traffic every day, the prolonged project progress will affect the majority of people passing by. For the past 2 years, Traffic Police Team No. 7 has increased its force on Vu Trong Khanh Street to regulate traffic when it is congested.