Over 400 Construction Sites, 6,000 Personnel, and 2,700 Pieces of Equipment Mobilized to Accelerate Two Expressway Projects for Year-End Completion as Directed by the Prime Minister

The Huu Nghi – Chi Lang and Dong Dang – Tra Linh projects are entering the final stretch, requiring accelerated construction to make up for delays caused by heavy rains and flooding. The goal is to ensure the highways are operational by the end of this year.

During an inspection of the Huu Nghi – Chi Lang route, the advisory board received a progress report from the project management unit. Currently, the project has 141 active construction sites, employing 2,774 workers and 1,228 pieces of equipment. The completed work is valued at 3.257 trillion VND out of a total contract value of 6.856 trillion VND, representing 47.5% completion.

At the Km 22+300 section, the advisory board observed vigorous construction activities, with several segments already paved with asphalt and gravel. This progress is notable, considering the contractor only received the cleared site in August 2025.

The advisory board commended the efforts of the workers and engineers on the Huu Nghi – Chi Lang project, emphasizing the need for proactive planning, scientific methods, and secure material supply to meet deadlines while ensuring labor safety and construction quality.

Moving to the Dong Dang – Tra Linh project, the team noted significant damage caused by recent floods. According to Pham Duy Hieu, Director of the General Contractor’s Management Board, contractors had increased manpower and equipment before September to expedite construction. However, continuous heavy rains and flooding severely disrupted operations, causing substantial losses and delaying critical milestones.

This highway, connecting Lang Son and Cao Bang provinces, includes 65 bridges over rivers and provincial roads, among which 1 is a special-class bridge and 5 are first-class bridges. Due to natural disasters and challenging terrain, key bridge sections at Km28, Km52, Km69, and Km79 are now considered critical for meeting deadlines. The project management has implemented measures such as increased manpower, equipment, additional work shifts, and temporary road reconstruction to recover lost time.

For road sections requiring extensive excavation and embankment, such as the Km17+300 to Km18 segment (200,000 m³), the project management deployed 18 excavators, rollers, and pavers to help contractors resolve bottlenecks swiftly.

Currently, contractors are operating 276 construction sites with 3,331 workers and 1,487 pieces of equipment. The project has completed work valued at 4.741 trillion VND out of a total contract value of 11.397 trillion VND, achieving 41.6% completion.

At the Dong Dang – Tra Linh project management office in Duc Long commune, Cao Bang province, the team paid tribute to three engineers who lost their lives in a flash flood on September 29.

Acknowledging the project’s challenges, advisors noted that beyond the irreplaceable human and property losses, the project has also suffered significant time setbacks.

Encouraging the workforce’s resilience at the Dong Dang – Tra Linh site, advisor Tran Chung described the recent floods as a test of the contractors’ endurance and capabilities. He suggested that after this project, the corporation should establish a strategic contractor selection mechanism to identify partners capable of handling future projects.

Both projects are mobilizing all resources with a “priority of priorities” approach to meet the year-end deadline as directed by the Prime Minister.

In March 2025, the Government Office issued Document No. 1947/VPCP-CN, conveying Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s instructions for the Dong Dang – Tra Linh and Huu Nghi – Chi Lang highway projects. The Prime Minister urged the investor, Deo Ca Group Joint Stock Company, to fulfill their commitment to complete and open the highways in 2025. He directed them to maximize resources, equipment, and work shifts to accelerate construction.