The Chương Dương Bridge crossing the Hồng (Red) River and linking Long Biên District with the city’s downtown area opened to traffic in 1985. — Photo vietnamplus.vn

HÀ NỘI — Parts of the Chương Dương Bridge in Hà Nội have been downgraded, threatening traffic safety, the city’s Transportation Works Maintainance Board has reported.

According to the board, cracks have appeared on the surface of the 35-year-old bridge, especially on the concrete and asphalt layers, which resulted in leakage to lower layers and the steel structure below.

The 14cm-thick concrete layer under the bridge deck has some parts broken due to tainted steel reinforcement inside.

The bridge corridor is only 1.1m high, which makes people feel unsafe when travelling on the bridge, especially during strong winds.

According to the maintenance board, the damage has yet to cause serious problems for the bridge’s steadiness and force-resistance but without timely maintenance, the bridge will be downgraded soon, posing a high risk to traffic safety.

The board proposed fixing the damage, calling for the city People’s Committee to approve a repair plan to be carried out this year and next year.

The Chương Dương Bridge crosses the Hồng (Red) River, linking Long Biên District with the city’s downtown area. The bridge was the first designed and constructed entirely by Vietnamese engineers.

Currently, six bridges cross the Red River in Hà Nội including Long Biên, Chương Dương, Thăng Long, Thanh Trì, Nhật Tân and Vĩnh Tuy.

Under the city’s transport planning until 2030 with a vision to 2050, 10 other bridges crossing the river will be built. — VNS