The Billion-Dollar Road to Nowhere: A Tale of Waste in the City of Golden Flowers

Despite the barriers and prohibition of vehicle traffic, many people continue to trespass and use Tran Hung Dao Street in Gia Nghia City. This is cause for concern as the road is experiencing subsidence and dangerous cracks.

According to documents, Tran Hung Dao Street is 3,338 meters long and cost VND 81 billion to construct. The project, completed in late 2012, was handed over to the People’s Committee of Gia Nghia Town (now Gia Nghia City) on August 8, 2014. However, cracks and subsidence occurred even before the handover, dating back to the construction period.

In 2018, facing the complex situation of subsidence and cracks, the People’s Committee of Gia Nghia Town reported and proposed to the provincial People’s Committee to investigate and identify the cause. The same year, the local authorities banned traffic on Tran Hung Dao Street.

Dak Nong Province then directed the Department of Transport (the investor) to hire a consulting unit to determine the cause of the incident and propose solutions. The People’s Committee of Gia Nghia Town was assigned to carry out the necessary procedures to handle the incident, while the Department of Construction reviewed the documents to advise the provincial People’s Committee on handling the responsibility of individuals, units, and organizations related to the incident.

In 2019, the Department of Construction reported on the cause of the incident. It was found that the investor had not strictly complied with the procedures and regulations specified in Decree 209/2004/ND-CP and current standards in the survey, construction, and quality management of the project. There were also shortcomings in the reporting, evaluation, and acceptance processes, which contributed to the limited quality of the project.

During the construction process, the project experienced subsidence as early as 2006. While the investor organized repairs, the results were not satisfactory and failed to ensure the long-term stability of the road.

The relevant units responsible for managing the quality of the survey, establishing and approving the tasks and methods, and accepting the survey results as stipulated by the investor, are directly responsible. The surveying contractor is also responsible for the quality and accuracy of the survey report and its alignment with the actual geology and conclusions drawn.

The investor is responsible for managing the quality of design, construction, and acceptance, with the direct involvement and responsibility of the construction contractor and consulting supervision unit, who also share accountability for the aforementioned shortcomings.

Following the determination of the cause, the People’s Committee of Gia Nghia Town proposed investing in the construction of a project to address the subsidence and cracks on Tran Hung Dao Street. However, as of now, this proposal has not been approved by the competent authority.

While awaiting approval for the repair project, the People’s Committee of Dak Nong Province agreed to temporarily fix the subsidence and cracks and allow traffic on the lane next to the retaining wall. The People’s Committee of Gia Nghia City has carried out temporary repairs on the road surface. Nevertheless, subsidence and sliding on Tran Hung Dao Street persist.