BÌNH ĐỊNH — The Directorate for Roads of Việt Nam (DRVN) has ordered the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) toll station on National Highway No.1 running through central Bình Định Province to postpone toll collection from October 29 due to the poor quality of the road.

Nguyễn Văn Huyện, director of the DRVN, said the directorate has received a report from the Road Administration Department No.3 on road surface repair work of the BOT toll station project running through Hoài Nhơn District.

According to the report, the investor of the project has not completed repairs on the road surface, which was seriously degraded causing severe traffic disruption.

Huyện said since the project was put into operation, local authorities have received numerous complaints about the standard of the road.

Road Administration Department No.3 and transport agencies have repeatedly urged the project investor to fix the problem, but they have delayed the work.

Therefore, the DRVN has decided to temporarily postpone toll collection at the BOT station until the repair work has been completed.

Previously, on October 9, Minister of Transport Nguyễn Văn Thể asked the DRVN and the investors of BOT toll stations to increase traffic safety on the roads. Toll stations could be closed if investors behind the projects continued to put off repairs.

The project to upgrade and expand 28.6km of National Highway No.1 running through Hoài Nhơn District had total investment of VNĐ1.7 trillion (US$72.5 million) and was completed and put into use in May 2016. 

The road has reportedly sustained damage by frequent flooding and heavy rain. Moreover, the stone used for the road was allegedly of poor quality and not adhesive to asphalt. — VNS