A representative of the contractor building Hoa Lu Boulevard said on November 4 that measures were being implemented to ensure traffic safety following instructions from the project investor, Ninh Binh's Construction Investment Project Management Board No. 1.
The contractor will coordinate with local authorities to prohibit residents from entering pineapple-growing areas along the central reservation and roadsides to prevent accidents.
The crops will remain in place temporarily, while the contractor develops a plan to compensate growers for their planting and maintenance costs.
The representative said removing the crops now would be wasteful because the pineapple fields cover a large area and are approaching harvest.
The plants currently do not obstruct motorists' visibility, the representative added.
Residents will be prohibited from entering pineapple-growing areas along the boulevard to prevent traffic accidents. (Photo: Thai Ba)
Once the pineapples are ready, the contractor will arrange for their safe harvesting before removing the plants and restoring the road areas to their original condition.
A representative of the project investor previously acknowledged that growing crops within road infrastructure violated regulations, altered the approved design and posed traffic safety risks.
However, the representative said the pineapples had grown well in the local soil, improved the landscape and helped prevent excessive weed growth.
Despite these benefits, unauthorised cultivation must be prohibited to protect residents and road users, the representative said.
As previously reported by Dantri, residents have cultivated pineapples along the central reservation of Hoa Lu Boulevard for an extended period without the practice being fully addressed.
Pineapple plants growing along Hoa Lu Boulevard are approaching harvest. (Photo: Thai Ba)
Some workers tending the crops said they did not know who owned the fields and had been hired to maintain them for VND 250,000-300,000 (USD 9.60-11.50) a day.
Hoa Lu Boulevard stretches nearly 23 kilometres and has an investment budget exceeding VND 1.9 trillion (USD 73 million), with construction scheduled for the 2021-2026 period.
The road is designed for speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour, although the first phase has a design speed of 80 kilometres per hour.
The boulevard is currently Ninh Binh's largest interregional transport project, linking the province's mountainous and lowland areas.