The sound of the machine

The Management Board of Investment and Construction of Traffic and Agricultural Works of An Giang Province (the investor) said that the National Day holiday on September 2nd this year lasts four days, and contractors in charge of constructing the Chau Doc – Can Tho – Soc Trang expressway, the section passing through the province, will still work during the holiday.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Tuan, Project Executive Director, Phuong Thanh Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company (contractor for package 43) said that the package implemented by the company has 8 bridges and the road section from Km17+240 to Km21+840.

“Currently, the contractor has mobilized 20 construction teams, 50 locomotives and 250 staff to work overtime during the holidays. According to the regulations, the company still has a policy for workers to work according to regulations,” Mr. Tuan added.

At package 44, Mr. Vo Dai Thach, Construction Manager, Thanh Huy Group Joint Stock Company (construction contractor) said that although it is the National Day holiday on September 2, the construction site is still working as usual.

The company has deployed more than 120 workers and many machines and equipment to complete the bridge decks for the three bridges that have completed the bridge girder installation. In addition, workers are also organized to lower the remaining bridges, drill cement piles, install wicks and add roadbed load.

“Working hours for workers are from 6:45 a.m. to 9 p.m. To encourage workers to stay at the construction site during the holidays, the company pays three times more than a normal working day,” said Mr. Thach.

Need more sand to speed up

Mr. Thach added that the package implemented by the company has a total length of 5.4km, requiring 800,000m3 of sand. The contractor has been granted a sand mine under a special mechanism and the average daily output of sand to the construction site is nearly 2,300m3.

“Although sand is available, the quantity is not enough to meet daily construction needs. Therefore, the contractor has also submitted a document requesting to increase the sand mining reserve assigned by An Giang province according to a special mechanism,” said Mr. Thach.

According to Mr. Thach, up to now, the progress of the package implemented by Thanh Huy Group Joint Stock Company has reached 45.45%. However, to achieve the goal of completing the roadbed loading part by December 2024, the contractor needs 4,000m3 of sand/day.

"If the sand mine reserves are increased this September, the contractor's construction will be very favorable and ensure that it meets the requirements for roadbed loading according to regulations," Mr. Thach informed.

According to Mr. Tuan, the contractor was not given sand mines according to a special mechanism but was allocated sand to construct the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway package carried out by the company in charge.

The total demand for sand that Phuong Thanh Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company needs to implement the project is 981,879m3. To date, the contractor has received 189,609m3 of sand to construct the road section.

“Currently, the amount of sand the contractor is provided with is 1,800m3/day. This amount only ensures 60% of the amount of sand needed to construct the road according to regulations,” Mr. Tuan informed.

The Management Board of Investment Projects for Construction of Transport and Agricultural Works of An Giang Province added that the Chau Doc – Can Tho – Soc Trang Expressway, the section passing through the province, has four bid packages and is marked in order as 42, 43, 44 and 45. To date, the project progress has reached nearly 27%.