An Thai bridge shortcomings

The clearance at An Thai bridge is low, large ships cannot pass through (photo provided by the facility)

Many accidents

According to statistics from BOT Road 188 Company Limited - the management unit of An Thai Bridge, from 2016 to present, there have been 3 traffic accidents and collisions caused by water vehicles crashing into the bridge.

Most recently, at around 9:15 p.m. on May 22, Mr. NVQ, born in 1991, in Vinh Tuong district (Vinh Phuc), was driving PT-2254 (total weight of 938.8 tons) ship, heading from Hai Phong to Hai Duong. When reaching km20 of Kinh Mon river, he got stuck in the main navigation compartment of An Thai bridge, crashing into the T2 pillar of the bridge. The bridge quality inspection agency concluded that the collision did not affect the structure of An Thai bridge.

Previously, on May 21, 2019, ship QN6626 of Dong Bac Ha Long Economic Group Joint Stock Company from downstream (Hai Phong) to upstream (Pha May) collided and got stuck under An Thai bridge. The collision broke the girder head at the T-frame support of span 5 (main navigation compartment), broke the head of the 24m prestressed reinforced concrete I-beam... causing great damage and affecting traffic in this area.

Or on March 6, 2016, the Thanh Luan 28 ship with a capacity of 3,400 tons collided with An Thai bridge, causing complete damage to the 24m upstream girder of the navigation span, leading to the need to replace the girder.

The scene of the collision between an inland waterway vessel and An Thai bridge on the evening of May 22 (photo provided by the agency)

Not only on the river but also on the shore, on National Highway 17B, through An Thai Bridge, many traffic accidents and collisions have occurred. A typical accident occurred on the afternoon of March 6, on National Highway 17B, through Long Xuyen Ward (Kinh Mon), causing 1 death. At that time, Ms. Do Thi Phuong (born in 1990, residing in Hien Thanh Ward, Kinh Mon) was driving a car 30H-122.73 from An Thai Bridge to Da Vach Bridge. When reaching km 11+700 of National Highway 17B, she collided with a motorbike 34B3-744.44 driven by Mr. Vu Luong Thien (born in 1992, residing in Tuan Viet Commune, Kim Thanh) going in the opposite direction. The strong impact caused Mr. Thien to be seriously injured, and he later died.

Not suitable for both water and road transport

An Thai Bridge at km13+200 of National Highway 17B across Kinh Mon River connects Kim Thanh District and Kinh Mon Town, was invested in construction since 1999 and put into use in 2001. The bridge is 290.7m long, of which span 44 + 64 + 44m has a T-frame structure, the width of the bridge deck is 10.9m. Of which, the motor vehicle part is 7m, the sidewalk and non-motorized vehicles are about 1.5m.

An Thai bridge slope has dangerous curves

An Thai Bridge is not only important for trade between the two localities of the province, Kinh Mon and Kim Thanh, but also plays a role in connecting the provinces of Quang Ninh, Bac Giang, Hai Phong City, and Thai Binh. However, the bridge has many shortcomings in both road and waterway traffic. The traffic volume through An Thai Bridge exceeds the design volume (in fact, the traffic volume through the bridge is nearly 5,000 vehicles/day and night, the design volume of the road through the bridge is 3,000 vehicles/day and night). Mr. Nguyen Dinh Dien in Long Xuyen ward commented that the slope of An Thai Bridge through Long Xuyen commune is curved, has limited visibility, is potentially dangerous, and is unsafe for traffic. Collisions and traffic accidents often occur in this area, with people falling and crashing into the bridge railings. Many accidents cause injuries and even deaths in this area.

According to Mr. Vu Dang Khoa, Director of BOT Road 188 Company Limited, the clearance of An Thai Bridge is 30m, the clearance height is 7m. Large ships traveling from Hai Phong to Hai Duong cannot pass through An Thai Bridge. Currently, on both sides of An Thai Bridge, there are many construction material yards (sand, stone, coal...), and trucks regularly transport materials from here to cross the bridge. Tractors carrying coal, materials with large tonnage... run at high density, causing the bridge to quickly deteriorate, affecting the bridge's lifespan.

In 2022, An Thai bridge will be periodically repaired, expansion joints replaced, slope layer created, asphalt concrete on the roadway will be redone, the bridge surface will be more beautiful. However, the bridge is currently weak, damaged in some locations, BOT Road 188 Company Limited has inspected, tested the bridge load, and is developing a plan to handle and repair to increase the bridge's load-bearing capacity.

But according to Mr. Khoa, in the long term, with the orientation of developing waterway traffic, An Thai bridge is no longer suitable. Therefore, overcoming the infrastructure shortcomings of An Thai bridge is a "problem" that needs to be solved soon.

HN