Close-up of the construction of the longest mountain tunnel on the Northern Expressway

June 6, 2024 | 15:21

TPO - With a length of 3,200 m connecting the two provinces of Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh, after completion, tunnel No. 3 will be the longest road tunnel of the North-South expressway project and the third longest road tunnel in the country after Hai Van and Deo Ca.

The Quang Ngai - Hoai Nhon Expressway Project (part of the North-South Expressway Construction Project in the East, phase 2021-2025) is the largest project among the 12 component projects of the North-South Expressway Project.

The project is 88 km long, with a total investment of more than 20,400 billion VND. Of which, the section passing through Quang Ngai province is 60.3 km long, and the section passing through Binh Dinh province is 27.7 km long. In phase 1, the Quang Ngai - Hoai Nhon expressway has a scale of 4 lanes, speed of 80 km/h. The project is invested by Project Management Board 2, Ministry of Transport . According to the plan, the project must be completed in the third quarter of 2026.

Quang Ngai - Hoai Nhon Expressway is the section with the most mountain tunnels on the North-South Expressway. On this expressway, there are 3 mountain tunnels including Tunnel 1, Tunnel 2 of Package XL2 and Tunnel 3 of Package XL3. Of which, Tunnel 1 is 610 m long, Tunnel 2 is 700 m long and Tunnel 3 is a special-grade tunnel with a length of 3,200 m, along with 77 bridges, 586 culverts, and 81 civil underpasses.

Currently, tunnels 1 and 2 have been dug and completed, and the road surface, tunnel lining and equipment inside the tunnel are being completed.

However, tunnel No. 3 has complex geology, so the construction work is being carried out very carefully by the contractor to ensure quality and safety. Up to now, the left tunnel has been dug 1,100m long, the right tunnel has been dug 1,148m long.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Huy - Deputy General Director of Deo Ca Group - said that the unit is currently deploying 15 heavy-duty tunnel drilling machines, 100 mechanical equipment locomotives, and more than 100 engineers and workers working in shifts, ensuring continuous work 24/24h. Tunnel No. 3 has increased from 4 construction points to 6 construction points.

“According to the contract signed with the investor, tunnel No. 3 will be completed after 42 months of construction, but the unit is making efforts to clear this special road tunnel earlier than planned, expected to be cleared in June 2025, and by December 2025 the entire Quang Ngai - Hoai Nhon expressway will be cleared,” said Mr. Huy.

After 17 months of construction, the Quang Ngai - Hoai Nhon expressway has clearly taken shape, some construction items are ahead of schedule, many sections have been filled and paved with aggregate.

Currently, the entire Quang Ngai - Hoai Nhon expressway project is implementing 43 construction fronts with nearly 3,400 personnel and more than 1,380 locomotives and equipment. The output realized by the end of May 2024 reached more than 4,000 billion VND, equivalent to more than 27% of the total volume.

According to the plan, the contractor strives to complete the total cumulative volume of the entire project by the end of 2024, reaching about 7,500 billion VND. Of which, the road item will complete the roadbed and partially construct asphalt concrete, and traffic safety items.

For tunnel No. 1 and tunnel No. 2, the road surface, tunnel lining and equipment will be completed. For bridge category, we strive to construct 60/77 bridges, with priority given to completing level crossing bridges.

Nguyen Ngoc

Source: https://tienphong.vn/can-canh-thi-cong-ham-xuyen-nui-dai-nhat-cao-toc-bac-nam-post1643909.tpo