Cracks appear on a section of Da Nang-Quang Ngai Expressway running through Quang Nam Province.

According to the ministry’s latest report submitted to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the road surface’s low quality combined with prolonged hot weather and heavy use caused the potholes.

The report conducted an inspection on the road surface of seven sub-projects built in the first phase of the Da Nang-Quang Ngai Expressway.

The Da Nang-Quang Ngai Expressway, which covers nearly 140km with an investment of more than VND34 trillion, has reportedly downgraded after 14 months of operation.

About 70 sq.m out of 3.1 million sq.m of the road surface was found to have potholes, while several bridges and tunnels have shown signs of leaks or erosion.

The agency worked with relevant authorities to conduct a judicial assessment on the construction quality of the 74km Tam Ky-Quang Ngai section.

Subsidence has been reported on the surface of this section shortly after it was opened to traffic in 2018.

The Ministry of Public Security has proposed the PM assign the transport ministry to establish a council to study solutions to repair the road and calculate repair costs.

Depending on the scale of the degradation, the investigative agency will make a general assessment of violations.

The Ministry of Public Security said the construction violations committed in the first phase of the project resulted from investors, the management board, contractors, and supervision and consultant units breaking construction rules.

These acts show signed of breaching construction regulations, resulting in serious consequences as mentioned in the Criminal Code 2015.

Le Quang Hung, vice chairman of the State's Construction Work Evaluation Council, submitted a document to the investigative police, saying the contractors and the investor (Vietnam Expressway Corporation or VEC) must bear full responsibilities for the violations.

The expressway was built in five years by the State-owned VEC.

The first section running from Da Nang City to Tam Ky City of Quang Nam Province was opened to traffic in August 2017, and the last section from Tam Ky to Quang Ngai opened in September 2018.

The project is an important part of the North-South Expressway. It is intended to ease traffic on the National Road No 1 and boost economic competitiveness for the central region.

After construction violations were found on the road, the Ministry of Public Security last year started legal proceedings against former director of the project management board and eight directors of sub-projects. VNS

Five more investigated for Da Nang-Quang Ngai expressway issues

Police on Tuesday arrested a former director and vice director of construction contractors involved in a key expressway in central Vietnam after severe degradation was reported on the road merely a year following its opening.

Four arrested for violations in expressway project

Four former and current executives have been detained in connection with alleged irregularities in the construction and work approval of a 139-kilometer-long expressway connecting Danang with Quang Ngai Province.