On the morning of October 11, cracks stretching several metres appeared on the road surface along the Dai Ninh Pass section of National Highway 28B in Phan Son Commune, Lam Dong Province.
Subsidence on National Highway 28B (Photo: Tri Nguyen).
The damaged section showed signs of subsidence, with cracks extending across almost the entire width of the lane.
The damage is located at the top of a slope on a bend along the route from Dalat to Phan Thiet. To warn motorists, the road management unit has cordoned off the affected area, installed warning signs and placed traffic-control barriers to keep vehicles away from the cracked and sunken surface.
According to the Central Region Road Project Management Board, the damage was identified during inspections in the preceding days. It is one of three locations showing signs of deterioration under package XD02 of the National Highway 28B upgrade project.
Prolonged heavy rain had already caused the road surface to crack and break on October 7, particularly at the junction between the cement concrete and asphalt pavement.
Continued subsidence has since caused the cracks to widen.
The project management board said the Vietnam Road Administration and the design consultancy had planned a site survey to assess the subsidence and recommend remedial measures to protect the road structure and ensure traffic safety.
Earlier, the Lam Dong Department of Construction had also identified three damaged locations along National Highway 28B. It instructed the relevant units to urgently implement traffic safety measures, assess the structural load-bearing capacity and repair damage to the roadbed and pavement.
