Race against time

Following the Luc Nam river dike, we arrived at the construction site of the new Cam Ly bridge and the railway overpass on the Kep - Ha Long railway line (abbreviated as Cam Ly bridge) when it was already dark. Vehicles on the road had their lights on. However, in the darkness of the river area, engineers and workers were still working overtime.

Workers work the night shift on the construction site of the new Cam Ly bridge unit.

At this time, the contractors arranged nearly 70 engineers and workers and mobilized many vehicles and machines, divided into 3 groups to construct the bridge and approach road, 3 shifts/day. A series of vehicles such as cranes, bulldozers, rollers, concrete trucks, and barges carrying materials on the river were operating continuously. There were no high-pressure lamps on the construction site, so workers worked under the lights of bulldozers and rollers. Right next to the riverbank, many workers were diligently welding each steel joint to make the bridge piers. Next to them, some engineers were directing the technical team to operate the bridge piers drilling rigs to lower them into the riverbed. Mr. Nguyen Van Long, in charge of the steel welding team, said: "Welding the bridge piers requires high precision, so I calculated and cut each steel bar to the correct length according to the design, ensuring a strong weld without any errors. The welding process of the bridge pier frame was focused on and careful with each joint."

The construction of the new Cam Ly bridge unit started early this year with the Railway Project Management Board (Ministry of Construction) as the investor; the total cost is nearly 800 billion VND from increased revenue and savings on regular expenditures of the central budget. The starting point of the project intersects with National Highway 37 in Cam Ly commune, the end point is in Bac Lung commune (in the same district of Luc Nam). The total length of the route is about 3,267 m. The scale of investment and construction includes a level III plain road, 2 lanes, 12 m wide roadbed; construction of a new Cam Ly road bridge unit over 631 m long (parallel to the current Cam Ly bridge) exclusively for road traffic and a railway overpass nearly 288 m long, 12 m wide.

At the construction site of the new Xuong Giang bridge, the approach roads at both ends of the bridge across the Thuong River on the Hanoi - Bac Giang expressway (abbreviated as Xuong Giang bridge) currently have about 80 workers working 3 shifts/day with the determination to "overcome the sun, overcome the rain". At 9:30 pm, the construction site is still lit. Trucks transporting construction materials, pile drilling machines, and cranes are operating smoothly. On both sides of the approach road to the bridge, dozens of workers and bulldozers are focusing on handling weak ground. According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hoa, Project Manager, the contractor is currently arranging 4 construction teams, of which 3 teams are building the road, the remaining team is building the bridge. Workers start the night shift from 6 pm the previous day to 2 am the next day. To speed up the progress, the contractor is working throughout the April 30 and May 1 holidays.

The project to build a new section of Xuong Giang bridge has a total investment of more than 170 billion VND from the state budget, with the Railway Project Management Board as the investor, under the project to upgrade and expand a number of bridges and tunnels on National Highway 1 in a number of provinces. The project starts in Tran Phu ward and ends in Dong Son ward (Bac Giang city). The total length is nearly 1 km, of which the bridge section is more than 301 m long, the rest is the approach road. The bridge is a new section, 16.5 m wide, including 3 lanes for motor vehicles. The road section at both ends of the bridge has a 33 m wide base, including 4 lanes for motor vehicles. To date, this project has completed 20% of the volume.

Determined to complete on time

According to the plan, the Railway Project Management Board strives to basically complete the two above projects by the end of this year. The bridges will open up new development space, increase regional connectivity and many other traffic works. Specifically, the construction of the new Cam Ly bridge will strengthen connectivity, improve operational capacity, ensure traffic safety, and meet transportation needs on the transport corridor of Bac Giang and Hai Duong provinces to localities in the key economic region of the North. When put into use, the Xuong Giang bridge will contribute to reducing traffic congestion in this area, promoting trade, connectivity, and promoting socio-economic development in the area and provinces and cities in the Northeast region.

Construction of Xuong Giang bridge and approach roads at both ends of the bridge.

Clearly identifying that importance, immediately after the groundbreaking ceremony, the Railway Project Management Board focused on directing contractors to mobilize maximum human resources, machinery, and equipment to work 3 shifts/day, including holidays. At the same time, a weekly construction plan was developed, closely following the overall progress of the project.

Mr. Mai Xuan Tan, Director of several bridge and tunnel projects on Highway 1, said: “Construction of bridges during the day is hard, but working at night is even harder because many items must be carried out on high ground or under the riverbed, limiting visibility. Although the construction conditions are difficult, we always closely supervise and require contractors to construct items according to technical standards and quality, striving to complete them before the rainy and stormy season (before June). The Board's leaders also regularly inspect the actual construction sites to promptly resolve difficulties and problems with contractors."

It is known that most of the workers working at the two projects are from distant provinces such as Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, etc., so they eat and rest at the construction site. To ensure living conditions and health for the workers, the contractor has arranged camps with many necessary items. Workers working the night shift, in addition to being paid according to regulations, are also supported with dinner and snacks between shifts. Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, a worker working on the Xuong Giang bridge, shared that although working the night shift is hard, in return, the income is higher than the day shift. Each month, the workers have an income of 10-14 million VND/person, ensuring a stable life.

Source: https://baobacgiang.vn/tren-cong-truong-nhung-cay-cau-huyet-mach-postid416965.bbg