The Ministry of Defence will build a floating bridge across Hanoi’s Duong River to reduce the load on the Duong bridge, which is seriously deteriorating.

Hanoi builds pontoon as Thang Long bridge under repair

Pontoon bridges threaten lives

A Defence Ministry official told VNExpress that Hanoi has asked the Ministry to build a pontoon across the Duong River while it repairs the broken-down Duong bridge. The Ministry’s Brigade 249 has found a suitable place for construction.

The pontoon will be 700m from the Duong bridge. This 240-245m pontoon can serve vehicles up to 60 tons, the official reported. “We have not fixed the time for construction or the schedule for repair of Duong Bridge yet, but the technical equipment is ready,” he revealed.

On May 8, soldiers disassembled the Chem pontoon across the Red River, built to serve repairs of Thang Long bridge. The pontoon was used for five months, serving around 5000 vehicles a day on average.

The Duong Bridge was built in 1975 in Hanoi’s northern gateway and is a significant bridge on National Highway 1, connecting Hanoi to Bac Ninh, Bac Giang and Lang Son provinces.

This bridge is overloaded and in a seriously deteriorated state, needing urgent repairs to ensure safety.

PV