Expansion joints on Highway 45

The investor has just had official information about the incident of the expansion joint on Highway QL45 - Nghi Son passing through Thanh Hoa province being popped.

Regarding the incident of broken expansion joints on the main route of the North-South expressway, section QL45 - Nghi Son, in an interview with Giao Thong Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Quynh, Executive Director of the QL45-Nghi Son project (under Project Management Board 2 - Ministry of Transport ) said that immediately after receiving the information, the unit implemented two tasks in parallel.

Specifically, the Board requested the contractor to fulfill its responsibility for construction warranty according to the signed contract, promptly fix the damaged expansion joint, ensure safe traffic for vehicles, and send staff directly to the scene to work with relevant parties, assess the cause, and clarify responsibilities.

Expansion joints popped out on Highway QL45 - Nghi Son as reported by vehicle owners.

"According to initial assessment, recently, especially during the Lunar New Year peak, the traffic volume on the route has increased, including heavy vehicles (over 10 tons), causing the expansion joint bolts to loosen. During the project maintenance process, the problem with the expansion joint was discovered and handled by the construction unit, but a thorough solution has not been found yet," said a representative of Project Management Board 2, affirming that the unit will work with the supervision consultant, design consultant, and contractor to come up with a definitive solution.

"The parties are considering replacing the expansion joints. Project Management Board 2 will request the units to review all items on the route, including the expansion joint locations, to ensure absolute safety and quality for people traveling," Mr. Quynh shared.

Also according to the representative of Project Management Board 2, to minimize the impact on traffic on the expressway when repairing the popped expansion joint, the investor will ask the contractor to implement one of two options: the construction contractor must ensure traffic safety himself or hire a route operator to ensure traffic safety remotely.

Regarding the above incident, Mr. Tran Quang Thanh, Director of Road Management Area II, said that during the recent Lunar New Year, traffic volume on the National Highway 45 - Nghi Son increased dramatically compared to normal days.

"According to data from the Hoang Mai toll station on National Highway 1 parallel to the expressway, the number of vehicles on National Highway 1 during Tet has decreased by 60% compared to the same period. Vehicles tend to congregate on National Highway 45 - Nghi Son because the expressway has not yet collected road use fees," said Mr. Thanh.

For more information, Mr. Thanh said that the unit discovered that the expansion joint on the northern abutment of Nhon River Bridge (Km341+182) on the National Highway 45 - Nghi Son was broken at 6:30 p.m. on February 6.

Immediately after that, the QLDB II area directed the VEC O&M unit to temporarily patch the damage with crushed stone mixed with cement. The QLDB III area also informed the Vietnam Road Administration to report to the Ministry of Transport to direct the investor to have a solution.

On the evening of February 6, a driver reported to the press that 4 cars passing through the expansion joint had their tires blown out. Fortunately, there were no casualties.

The Highway 45 - Nghi Son section project is over 43km long, passing through Thanh Hoa province. In the phased phase, the highway will be invested with a limited scale of 4 lanes (roadbed width of 17m). The project will be inaugurated and put into operation from October 2023 and handed over to the Vietnam Road Administration for management and operation from August 2024.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/khe-co-gian-tren-ql45-nghi-son-bi-bung-bat-chu-dau-tu-noi-gi-192250207131820054.htm