Following the expansion joint failure on an expressway section in Thanh Hoa Province, the Ministry of Transport (MoT) has issued an urgent directive requiring investors and contractors to enhance routine and ad-hoc inspections to detect defects early and ensure timely repairs.

Strengthening inspection and maintenance of expressways

To maintain road quality and traffic safety, the MoT has instructed the Vietnam Road Administration and the Vietnam Expressway Administration to increase monitoring and supervision of expressway maintenance activities.

Officials must promptly direct relevant agencies to repair damages, ensuring safe and uninterrupted traffic flow in compliance with regulations.

"For expressways still under warranty, regulatory agencies must require investors to organize repairs at the contractor's expense, ensuring all work meets technical standards," the directive stated.

For expressways funded by the state budget, the MoT requires investors to increase periodic and unscheduled inspections, promptly detect quality defects, and ensure contractors make necessary repairs in accordance with contract terms.

Before initiating repairs, project owners must approve: Repair solutions that meet project technical standards, Safety measures for traffic and workers.

"Throughout the repair process, all work must be closely monitored to ensure compliance with quality and safety standards," the directive emphasized.

Incident details: Multiple vehicles damaged due to joint failure

As previously reported by VietNamNet, an expansion joint on the National Highway 45 – Nghi Son Expressway in Thanh Hoa Province unexpectedly detached, causing multiple tire blowouts.

At approximately 5:40 p.m. on February 6, driver B.Q.D., from Thai Binh Province, was traveling on the expressway in the Thanh Hoa – Ninh Binh direction when he encountered the incident at Km341+080 in Trung Chinh Commune, Nong Cong District.

“The expansion joint suddenly came loose, and both of my car’s tires exploded. I immediately reported the issue to the road management unit,” D. stated.

According to him, at least three other cars suffered the same issue at the same time.

Upon discovering the defect, Road Management Zone II instructed VEC O&M to apply a temporary patch using a mixture of crushed stone and cement.

N. Huyen