Official: Saigon Bridge may collapse
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- 46 month(s) ago
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The rapidly-degrading Saigon Bridge, spanning the Saigon River may collapse due to constant overloading, said Vu Tien Dat, vice director of the state-run Ferry and Bridge Management Company of Ho Chi Minh City.
The bridge is used now by 41,000 lorries and hundreds of motorbikes a day, a far greater number than what it was originally designed for.
The Urban Traffic Management Agency No.2 has submitted a plan to local authorities for an urgent overhaul next year before a possible collapse, said agency director Vu Kien Thiet.
Heavy trucks are supposed to keep a distance of 30m from each other on the bridge. But that regulation is difficult to enforce with all of the traffic criss-crossing the bridge each day.
Most days, trucks cross bumper-to-bumper, inching across the bridge during rush-hour traffic.
Built in 1959, it has a loading capacity of 25 tons, but is starting to show signs of wear and tear on its pillars and on the surface.
Last month, repairs were undertaken for a large hole on the surface which left steel reinforcement bars exposed.
The 48-year bridge connecting the southern hub to Dong Nai and Ba Ria Vung Tau provinces in the south has been plagued by traffic accidents in recent years.
Cement at connecting joints between spans of the 986m-long bridge have begun to crack and some sections are bending at the surface, according to Dat.
However, help may not be at hand until 2012, when the second Saigon Bridge is due to be completed.
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The bridge is used now by 41,000 lorries and hundreds of motorbikes a day, a far greater number than what it was originally designed for.
The Urban Traffic Management Agency No.2 has submitted a plan to local authorities for an urgent overhaul next year before a possible collapse, said agency director Vu Kien Thiet.
Heavy trucks are supposed to keep a distance of 30m from each other on the bridge. But that regulation is difficult to enforce with all of the traffic criss-crossing the bridge each day.
Most days, trucks cross bumper-to-bumper, inching across the bridge during rush-hour traffic.
Built in 1959, it has a loading capacity of 25 tons, but is starting to show signs of wear and tear on its pillars and on the surface.
Last month, repairs were undertaken for a large hole on the surface which left steel reinforcement bars exposed.
The 48-year bridge connecting the southern hub to Dong Nai and Ba Ria Vung Tau provinces in the south has been plagued by traffic accidents in recent years.
Cement at connecting joints between spans of the 986m-long bridge have begun to crack and some sections are bending at the surface, according to Dat.