Work begins on Thi Cau bridge

News - Construction of new Thi Cau Bridge linking northern Bac Ninh and Bac Giang provinces began yesterday.

It is one of the three new bridges to be built as part of a project following Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's urgent directive. The other two are the Dong Nai Bridge in southern Dong Nai Province and Tam Bac Bridge in northern Hai Phong City.

The new bridges will be built to separate traffic on existing Dong Nai, Tam Bac and Thi Cau bridges which are currently used by trains and motor vehicles.

Thi Cau was one of 10 bridges that were used by both trains and other vehicles, which caused traffic jams and posed high traffic risks.

Construction of the new Thi Cau Bridge, 30m away from the existing one of the same name, was aimed at separating road and railway traffic to ensure traffic safety and prevent congestion, Director of the Railway Management Board for Region 1 Doan Kim Khen said.

The new Thi Cau Bridge, which is 572.1m long and 16m wide, is designed for traffic speeds of 60km per hour.

Total investment in building the new Thi Cau Bridge and upgrading the existing one for temporary use will be VND466 billion (US$22.3 million).

Project construction is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2013.