Many sections, up to 10km long, of National Highway 1 in central Vietnam has sunk up to over 6cm, allegedly caused by the ongoing scorching heat that has melt the asphalt concrete on the road surface. According to a report of the Road Management Department II, the highway’s section linking the two towns of Dien Chau and Quan Hanh in Nghe An Province has subsided from 1 to 2.5 cm. This section is about 10km long and most of the sinking spots are in the lane for cars, triggering safety concerns, the report said. According to some locals, the road sinking was detected three or four months ago, but no repair has been made so far.   

For fear of accidents, truck drivers had to steer their vehicles very slowly on these sunken sections, they said. Dinh Dang Khanh, deputy director of the Project Management Unit 85, under the provincial Department of Transport, said, “We are closely monitoring the situation and will have plans to repair the subsided section soon to ensure traffic safety.” Those sections that have been paved with asphalt concrete can be easily melted by the baking heat wave that is raging in central Vietnam, Khanh said. This asphalt concrete can survive the maximum heat of 60 degrees Celsius, while road surface temperatures may reach 73 degrees, Khanh explained. Another long section of the highway in Ky An Town in neighboring Ha Tinh Province has also subsided, even over 6cm, especially in the part that runs through Ly Phuong Commune. This road stretch was inaugurated five months ago, said Truong Duc Lien, who represents the local Traffic Safety Management Board. Lien blamed the sinking on the burning weather and overloaded trucks that continuously carry stones from quarries in the area. “The sinking happened during the prolonged heat wave. We are seeking ways to fix it,” Lien said. Similarly, the section of the highway running through Phong Dien in Thua Thien-Hue Province has come down 1-2cm only after two months of opening to traffic. This section belongs to a project to expand the highway, with its investor being Trung Phuong Co. Ltd. Tran Duc Thinh, director of the project management board, said that the construction unit might have used a lot of asphalt for paving the road surface, so when the temperature rose high, it melted the asphalt, causing the sinking. He added that the board has asked the contractor to repair the section.

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