The use of sea sand for road levelling is a growing trend.  VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI The Ministry of Transport is taking a bold step in road construction by using sea sand as an embankment material.

They are following the Prime Minister's lead and partnering with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to conduct thorough research, testing and evaluation.

The trial run on the DT978 return route section of the North-South expressway, Hậu Giang - Cà Mau, has been successful, utilising sea sand from Đông Hải Commune in Trà Vinh Province.

The construction phase of the pilot route has been successfully completed and commenced operations since August 2023, with on-going monitoring and evaluation.

The investor has also accomplished the development of regulations for the extraction, transportation and utilisation of sea sand as a road embankment material. Furthermore, they are in the process of finalising related procedures to facilitate its widespread application.

At present, the Ministry of Transport reports that, based on the results obtained from five rounds of experiments, monitoring and evaluation, the road base of the pilot section demonstrates robust stability. Environmental parameters, including surface water, groundwater and heavy metal indicators in the soil, remain stable. There are no indications of heightened salinity or contamination in surface water, groundwater, or the soil within the construction area.

Additionally, the Ministry of Transport has organised direct engagements with Geleximco Group and experts from the Dutch Boskalis Group to gather insights and outcomes from their extensive experience with sea sand utilisation in traffic construction projects in the Netherlands.

They have generously provided valuable information such as project names, designs, technical standards, construction technologies, sea sand extraction techniques, environmental requirements and sea sand salinity, all of which serve as a valuable reference.

Moving forward, the Ministry of Transport will continue monitoring and evaluation efforts, with the anticipation of presenting the final evaluation results by the end of 2023.

"If the research findings prove successful, this will represent a significant source of construction materials for projects in the Mekong Delta region," affirmed the Ministry of Transport.

Previously, when reporting on the progress of the pilot project employing sea sand as a roadbed construction material, a spokesperson from the Department of Science, Technology and Environment within the Ministry of Transport stated that the requisite procedures are currently in progress, with relevant stakeholders actively involved. It is expected that, if all conditions remain favourable, the Appraisal Council will convene to review and assess the outcomes of the pilot project involving sea sand as a material for transport infrastructure construction around mid-December 2023. VNS