Legal proceedings have been launched against four people for violating regulations on construction, causing serious consequences relating to Đà Nẵng-Quảng Ngãi Expressway. Photo vtv.vn

QUẢNG NGÃI — The Investigation Department under the Ministry of Public Security has launched legal proceedings against four people for alleged violations of construction regulations.

The suspects are Nguyễn Tiến Thành, former director of Đà Nẵng-Quảng Ngãi Expressway management board, Hà Văn Bình, former director of bid package No 7 under the expressway management board, Phạm Đình Phú, deputy director general of Phương Thành Company, director of executive board of bid package No 5 and Nguyễn Thành An, deputy director of executive board of bid package No 7.

They are suspected of violations in the construction of the Đà Nẵng-Quảng Ngãi Expressway.

The Investigation Agency is expanding its probe and evidence to clarify the acts of the accused and related individuals.

The entire Đà Nẵng – Quảng Ngãi Expressway opened to traffic on September 2 last year. It has total investment of VNĐ34.5 trillion (US$1.5 billion), sourced from official development aid from the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) and the World Bank (WB).

The project is an important part of the north-south expressway. It is intended to alleviate traffic on the National Road No 1 and boost economic competitiveness for the central region.

It is also hoped to boost transport connectivity from the Viet Nam-Laos-Cambodia economic triangle through the East-West Economic Corridor to seaports in the central region.

But just a month after opening to traffic, potholes were spotted on the expressway. The Ministry of Transport on October 11 suspended toll collection on the road to force its investor – Việt Nam Expressway Corporation (VEC) to repair the road.

On October 17, the ministry allowed the resumption of toll collection and repairs of defects on a key highway in the central region were finished.

In June this year, the ministry issued a document requesting VEC inspect and take measures to deal with subsidence found on the expressway.

The VEC was required to direct road management units to monitor and check the subsidence on the surface of the road to ensure traffic safety and deal with violations in road exploitation.

However, the expressway continued to be damaged by heavy rain.

Specifically, three potholes occurred after rains from September 18 to September 20, this year at the connection from Túy Loan intersection to the Đà Nẵng – Quảng Ngãi expressway. The potholes were reported to be between 0.3 and 0.8m in wide and 7-12 cm in depth. — VNS