Provincial Road 152 Upgrade Project: Need to completely overcome existing problems

The closer to the peak of the rainy season, the more worried the people and authorities of the localities where Provincial Road 152 passes through, such as Cau May ward, Ta Van commune, Ban Ho commune, etc., are, because traveling on this route is potentially dangerous. According to the reporter's records, Provincial Road 152, the section from the center of Sa Pa town to Ban Ho intersection, nearly 20 km long, has 5 large landslides or degradation points. Although the unit assigned to be the investor for upgrading and maintenance has organized many repairs and fixes, partly because the rain and floods have complicated developments, partly because there is no methodical and thorough solution, the landslide situation continues.

According to the reporter's observation, the landslide point at Km1+800 to Km1+950 Provincial Road 152 (the landslide point in the Cau May - Sa Pa high-end eco -tourism resort), on the positive slope, soil and rocks are still sliding down the corridor and roadway. It is known that this landslide point appeared since the 2019 flood season and was assigned to Truong Giang - Sa Pa Joint Stock Company (the unit with the Cau May - Sa Pa high-end eco-tourism resort project located next to Provincial Road 152) to be responsible for constructing the embankment to prevent landslides and completing items to ensure traffic safety, but for unknown reasons, the repair has not been completed yet, causing many difficulties for vehicles passing through this area.

At Km4+800 to Km5+00, the positive slope also had many landslides that caused soil and rocks to bury the drainage ditch and encroach on the road. Trying to pick up the rocks that rolled into the corn field along the road, Ms. Vang Thi Su, Ta Van commune, worried: "The road section passing through the commune has several landslides that have not been fixed. The biggest landslide is right on my family's corn field. Every time it rains, mud and soil from the road flow down, affecting my family's production. Not only that, the landslides on the road cause a lot of difficulties for people to travel. We have complained to local authorities and functional agencies many times, but for the past few years, there has been no movement."

Along Provincial Road 152, from Km7+500 to Km7+800, according to the reporter's records, the nearly 200 m section of road that has been eroded for many months has not been completely repaired, the road surface is full of potholes. It is known that in 2022, the Provincial People's Committee approved the investment project for the overpass; however, up to now, because of some problems in site clearance, the construction is still unfinished.

Ms. Vu Thi Phuong, residential group No. 1, Cau May ward said: Landslides and degradation on Provincial Road 152, from the center of Sa Pa town to Ban Den intersection have been happening for many years. There have been a number of traffic accidents due to people and tourists falling into deep holes in the road.

Mr. Hoang Ngoc Dinh, Head of the Urban Management Department of Sa Pa Town, said: The project to upgrade and repair Provincial Road 152 has been handed over and put into use for more than 2 years, but there are still some unfinished or damaged and degraded points. Although the local people and authorities have made many requests, the repair has not been thorough, affecting the travel and life of the people as well as the development of local tourism.

According to the reporter's records, on Provincial Road 152 (from the center of Sa Pa town through Cau May ward, communes: Ta Van, Lien Minh, Ban Ho...), in addition to 5 major landslides and degraded roadbed, there are also some sections of water collection culverts on the roadbed that are broken, posing a great risk to traffic safety if drivers are not careful.

Talking to reporters, Mr. Kieu Anh Dung, Deputy Director of Lao Cai Road Maintenance Management Board, said: Although the unit has received the handover from the investor to organize the maintenance of Provincial Road 152, some sections have not been completed and handed over, leading to a state of degradation, causing traffic insecurity. The transport sector has requested the ODA Board to coordinate in implementing the repair of points from Km1+00 onwards. As for the section from Group 1, Cau May Ward back to the center of Sa Pa town, there are some damaged water collection culverts on the inner-city road, managed and maintained by the Sa Pa Urban Management Department.

“We are deploying machinery and human resources to clean up and repair the roadbed and drainage ditches at landslide and damaged points from Km1+00 to Ban Den intersection. As for the major landslide points on the road section that have not been handed over to the Lao Cai Road Maintenance Management Board for management, we request the Provincial ODA Board and Truong Giang - Sa Pa Joint Stock Company to proactively deploy solutions to build rock and soil embankments, rebuild the roadbed and build overpasses to ensure long-term sustainability,” added Mr. Kieu Anh Dung.

We are deploying machinery and human resources to clean up and repair the roadbed and drainage ditches at landslide and damaged points from Km1+00 to Ban Den intersection. For major landslide points on the road section that have not been handed over to Lao Cai Road Maintenance Management Board for management, we request the Provincial ODA Board and Truong Giang - Sa Pa Joint Stock Company to proactively deploy solutions to build rock and soil embankments, renovate the roadbed and build overpasses to ensure long-term sustainability.
Mr. Kieu Anh Dung, Deputy Director of Lao Cai Road Maintenance Management Board

Provincial Road 152 is the route from the center of Sa Pa town to famous tourist destinations such as Cau May, the ancient stone beach, Muong Hoa valley and down to low-lying communes and wards such as Ban Ho, Lien Minh, Muong Bo and National Highway 4E. The state of degradation and landslides not only affects the travel of local people but also affects the image of Sa Pa National Tourist Area. Authorities need to soon have a solution to ensure traffic safety for people and tourists.

Presented by: Le Nam