Progress of the Most Valuable Construction Project: East-West North-South Highway
In early March, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang inspected the construction of the Quang Ngai – Hoai Nhon project. This highway is the largest of the 12 component projects of the East-West North-South Highway Phase 2021-2025, with an investment capital of over 20,000 billion VND (approximately $870 million). The project began on January 1, 2023 and spans over 88 kilometers, passing through 4 districts and towns of Quang Ngai Province as well as Hoai Nhon Town (Binh Dinh Province).
At the northern entrance of Tunnel 3, Mr. Nguyen Tan Dong – Deputy Chairman of Deo Ca Group, reported that the progress has reached over 18% of the total volume. The project has mobilized nearly 3,200 workers and more than 1,100 machinery and equipment to the construction site, completing 43 construction phases.
Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang inspects the construction of the Quang Ngai – Hoai Nhon project. Photo: Deo Ca Group
The contractor is currently constructing 54 out of 77 bridges and paving 2.6 million cubic meters of roadway. For tunnel construction, the contractor has successfully excavated and cleared Tunnels 1 and 2 ahead of schedule.
Regarding Tunnel 3 (the longest tunnel on the route) which has complex geological conditions, the construction work is being carried out with caution to ensure quality and safety. Currently, the excavation progress of the left tunnel of Tunnel 3 has reached over 650 meters out of 3,200 meters, and the right tunnel is close to reaching 668 meters out of 3,200 meters.
“Drawing experience from previous projects, the construction unit has improved tunnel excavation methods, increased the number of construction faces, and implemented a circulating water construction method, significantly shortening the construction schedule. According to the contract with the investor, Tunnel 3 will be completed after 42 months of construction. However, the contractor is striving to open the road tunnel ahead of schedule (expected in June 2025)”, said Mr. Dong.
Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang commended the “overcoming all obstacles” spirit of the construction unit. He believed that the Quang Ngai – Hoai Nhon highway, with its 3 mountain tunnels, poses a major challenge to the project management board and the contractor.
“With a high sense of determination, after more than a year of construction, the contractor has successfully excavated 2 out of 3 significant tunnels, significantly accelerating the overall project progress. We highly appreciate the contractor for applying various new construction methods and tunnel excavation innovations to expedite tunnel construction and achieve remarkable results,” Mr. Thang said.
Special Method for Rapid Construction of 3 Mountain Tunnels
Within the Quang Ngai – Hoai Nhon highway, there are a total of 77 bridges, 586 culverts, 81 local tunnels, and 3 mountain tunnels. The mountain tunnels consist of Tunnel 1 with a length of 610 meters, Tunnel 2 with a length of 700 meters, and Tunnel 3 with a length of 3,200 meters.
On December 23, 2023, Tunnel 1 with a length of 610 meters on the Quang Ngai – Hoai Nhon highway was officially excavated, surpassing the schedule by more than 2 months as stated in the construction contract.
Prior to that, Tunnel 2 with a length of 700 meters had also been excavated ahead of schedule by nearly 1 month, and nearly 5 months ahead of the required timeline specified in the construction contract.
The atmosphere at the construction site of the Quang Ngai – Hoai Nhon project. Photo: Quang Ngai Newspaper
The construction unit has proactively implemented construction solutions during the rainy season in the Central region, as well as applied innovative construction methods to accelerate the progress. One of these methods is the “Deo Ca System” (6 tunnel faces instead of 4) – a special tunnel excavation method. Additionally, a circulating water construction method is used to reduce water consumption by 95% during tunnel construction.
Based on experience gained from previous mountain tunnel projects, as the master of the technology, the contractor has conducted research to improve tunnel construction methods, increase the number of tunnel excavation faces and steps, and shorten the tunnel excavation cycle. As a result, the tunnel excavation progress has been significantly accelerated. Alongside the accelerated progress, safety and quality control are strictly monitored.
After being excavated, Tunnel 1 and Tunnel 2 will be utilized as service roads to shorten transportation time and material distribution throughout the entire route, ensuring faster overall project progress. Previously, workers had to traverse treacherous mountainous roads, which was unsafe for transportation.
