Ben Hai Commune: H8 Bridge is degraded, affecting people's lives

The degraded H8 bridge makes traffic very difficult for people - Photo: T. Tuyen

Constant risk of accident

Actual records show that there are two large holes on the H8 bridge surface, of which the hole in the middle of the bridge has a diameter of about 1m. The entire concrete layer of the bridge surface is peeling off, exposing the heavily rusted iron and steel inside. To avoid accidents, the local authorities and people have had to temporarily use thin corrugated iron sheets and old tires to cover and warn. However, these spontaneous measures are only temporary responses and do not ensure long-term safety.

Ms. Le Thi Lien, a resident of Ben Hai village, shared: “This bridge has been damaged for about 2 years now. Before, cars could pass through, but since the damage, only motorbikes and pedestrians can pass through. Every day, hundreds of people and vehicles pass through. There are 2 very large holes on the bridge, I shudder when I pass by. We have petitioned the authorities many times, but so far there has been no repair.”

Many locals said that the bridge's deterioration has made traffic very difficult, especially at night or when it rains, and the risk of accidents is very high. Local residents, including the elderly and students, still have to use this bridge every day because it is the main, shortest, and most convenient route connecting the two villages.

According to Tran Van Cuong, Head of the Economic Department of Ben Hai Commune, H8 Bridge was built before 1984 and is part of the Kinh Mon irrigation system. After more than 40 years of use, this project has seriously degraded but has not been invested in for repair due to lack of funds. After the flood in late 2024, the concrete bridge surface was even more severely damaged and lost its ability to be exploited.

Need to fix and repair soon

Chairman of Ben Hai Commune People's Committee Nguyen Van Hong said: "Faced with the above situation, on May 23, 2025, the People's Committee of Trung Son Commune (old) sent a report to the authorities, proposing an early solution to handle the damage at H8 bridge.

Accordingly, the local government recommends that relevant units promptly coordinate to deploy measures to warn of dangers in the bridge area, and at the same time organize inspections, assessments and propose solutions. Recently, during a meeting with voters and delegates of the Provincial People's Council, I also continued to recommend urgent repairs to the H8 bridge.

In order to ensure the safety of people in the area, especially before the storm season, on May 28, 2025, the Department of Irrigation and Disaster Prevention and Control, Department of Agriculture and Environment of Quang Tri province issued Document No. 193/CCTL-TL to Quang Tri Irrigation Works Management and Exploitation Company Limited.

Notably, the department has requested the company to coordinate with local authorities to deploy timely solutions to warn people when participating in traffic across the bridge, such as: Stretching ropes, placing danger signs and propagating to let people know about the bridge damage situation, limiting travel on this route to avoid unfortunate accidents. At the same time, the company is requested to coordinate with relevant units to organize inspections and assess the state of degradation and damage of the H8 bridge.

In response to requests and recommendations from the Department of Irrigation and Disaster Prevention and Control, on June 5, 2025, Quang Tri Irrigation Works Management and Exploitation Company Limited issued report No. 93/BV-TN-KTh. Accordingly, the company has placed warning signs to warn people when participating in traffic.

Previously, on May 29, the company coordinated with the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Gio Linh district (old) to inspect and assess the current condition of the bridge. Through on-site inspection, it was noted that the concrete of the two longitudinal beams of the bridge was peeling off, the load-bearing iron was exposed outside, and was severely rusted. In particular, the bridge surface was severely damaged with two large holes, each with a diameter of nearly 1 meter.

The conclusion from the inspection shows that, at present, the H8 bridge is no longer able to serve traffic. In the immediate future, to ensure the safety of the people, the company requests that the local authorities continue to notify the people not to travel on the bridge. At the same time, guide cars to move to National Highway 1 via the N1 canal at location K2+700 (700m from the damaged bridge); motorbikes and pedestrians go through the K2+323 bridge (323m from the damaged bridge).

General Director of Quang Tri Irrigation Works Management and Exploitation Company Limited Nguyen Sinh Cong said: “Currently, the company does not have the funds to support the repair of the damage at H8 Bridge. Therefore, the company has proposed the Department of Irrigation and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, together with the Department of Agriculture and Environment to consider and arrange funds for early repair, in order to ensure the safety of people when participating in traffic.”

It is thought that relevant levels and sectors need to coordinate closely and take more drastic action in assessing, planning and allocating financial resources to promptly repair the damage at H8 bridge, ensuring safety for Ben Hai residents before the approaching storm season.

Tran Tuyen

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/xa-ben-hai-cau-h8-xuong-cap-anh-huong-den-doi-song-cua-nguoi-dan-196363.htm