Can Tho Bridge

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 This article or section contains information about a bridge currently under construction.
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Cần Thơ Bridge
Cần Thơ Bridge
A tower of the bridge under construction, as of June 2007
Crosses Sông Hậu Giang (Bassac River)
Locale Cần Thơ
Design Cable-stayed bridge
Longest span 550 metres (1,804 ft)
Total length 2.75 kilometres (9,022 ft)
Width 23.1 metres (76 ft)
Vertical clearance 39 metres (128 ft)
Coordinates 10°03′18″N, 105°47′39″E

Cần Thơ Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge currently under construction over the Hậu (Bassac) River, the largest distributary of the Mekong River, in the city of Cần Thơ in southern Vietnam. The bridge is expected to be 2.75 kilometres long (1.68 miles). It will have a 6-lane carriageway measuring 23 metres (76 feet) in width, with 4 lanes for traffic and two pedestrian lanes. It's expected to have a clearance of 39 metres (128 feet), which will allow large ships to pass underneath the bridge.[1]

When the bridge is completed, it will be the longest main span cable-stayed bridge in Southeast Asia. The cost of construction is estimated to be 4.84 trillion Vietnamese đồng (approximately 342.6 million U.S. dollars), making it the most expensive bridge in Vietnam.[1]

Contents

[edit] Construction

Prime Minister Phan Văn Khải launched construction of the bridge on September 25, 2004, and, prior to its collapse, it had been scheduled to be completed at the end of 2008. Khải said this, and sixteen more bridges, were a part of a plan to facilitate access to the region of the Cuu Long Delta by 2020. The bridge was expected to replace the ferry system that currently runs along National Road 1A and would link the Vĩnh Long Province and Cần Thơ city.[1]

The bridge's construction is under the supervision of consultant Nippon Koei-Chodai, which is working with Japanese contractors, including the Taisei Corporation, Kajima Construction and Nippon Steel. Capital for the project is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, which got a official development assistance loan from the Japan Bank of International Cooperation and the Vietnamese government.[1] Cần Thơ Bridge is insured by the Petrolimex Joint Stock Insurance Company and PetroVietnam Insurance Company for 3.2 trillion Vietnamese đồng (200 million U.S. dollars).[2]

The Cần Thơ Bridge was divided into three contracts and the first approach bridge (the first contract) had the slowest progress. The second contract, the main bridge and approach bridge, and third contract, the southern approach road in Cần Thơ, were reportedly going smoothly under the contractors discretion in 2005.[3]

[edit] Collapse

Pieces of Cần Thơ Bridge remaining after its collapse on October 4, 2007, ten days after the accident.
Pieces of Cần Thơ Bridge remaining after its collapse on October 4, 2007, ten days after the accident.
Main article: Collapse of Can Tho Bridge

The Cần Thơ Bridge collapsed during construction. The accident occurred at 8 a.m. local time (GMT+7) on the morning of September 26, 2007, when a 90-meter section of an approach ramp, which was more than 30 meters above the ground, collapsed.[4]The collapsed section was above a small island located on the Vinh Long side of the bridge.[5] There were 250 engineers and workers working on and under the span at the time.[6][7] As of September 27, the number of reported casualties varies, one source says that there were 52 people dead and 140 injured.[8] While other sources show that the death toll has reached 59,[9], still others report the number of casualties have reached 64[10]. According to Dr. Trần Chủng, head of the national construction QA/QC authority under the Ministry of Construction, this is the most catastrophic disaster in the history of Vietnam’s construction industry.[11]

[edit] Rescue efforts

Immediately following the accident, many workers at the site joined the rescue forces to take the injured out of the debris.[12] Local people, students, and cadres also joined the rescue teams. In addition, Chợ Rẫy Hospital in Hồ Chí Minh City sent two professional rescue teams to the site.[13] All the combined rescue efforts were put under the leadership of Hoàng Trung Hải, Vice Premier of the Government and forces from Ministries of National Defence.

Rescue efforts have received international support. The American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam also sent its resources located in Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore and Bangkok to Can Tho. The International SOS Alarm Centre and Clinic in Ho Chi Minh City sent a first response team of three doctors, a nurse, an interpreter and operations manager.[14] Rescue efforts have been carried out with cranes, not by direct entry of rescue personnel because the remaining part of the ramp is likely to collapse.[15]

According to the BBC Vietnamese, Mr. Lưu Thành Đồng, Vice President of the Public Transportation Bureau (Sở Giao thông Công chánh) in Cần Thơ, rescue efforts are expected to be completed Saturday. Mr. Lưu said as long there are hope of survivors, the rescue efforts will continue, however, since it's been four days since the accident, the hope of finding more survivors diminishes.[16]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d SE Asia’s longest cable-stayed bridge underway in Can Tho (Tuesday, September 28, 2004). Retrieved on September 28, 2007.
  2. ^ Bridge collapse kills at least 52 (September 28, 2007). Retrieved on September 29, 2007.
  3. ^ World price hike hits Mekong projects (March 10, 2005). Retrieved on September 29, 2007.
  4. ^ "Can Tho bridge collapses, dozens of people die", au.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-26. (English) 
  5. ^ "Vietnam bridge collapse kills 43", AP, Taipai Times, 2007-09-28. Retrieved on 2007-09-30. (English) 
  6. ^ "Fatalities In Vietnam's Can Tho Bridge Collapse Surge To 59", au.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-27. (English) 
  7. ^ (Chinese) 52 dead, 97 hospitalized in bridge collapse in Vietnam
  8. ^ Vietnam bridge collapse kills 52 (English). SNBC (September 26, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
  9. ^ "Fatalities In Vietnam's Can Tho Bridge Collapse Surge To 59", au.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-27. (English) 
  10. ^ "Tìm thấy thêm xác nạn nhân ở Cần Thơ", bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-09-27. (Vietnamese) 
  11. ^ Collapse of Can Tho Bridge, the most serious disaster in the history of Vietnam’s construction (Vietnamese). Liberated Saigon News (September 29, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
  12. ^ "10 giây kinh hoàng", Tuoi Tre, 27 September 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-27. (Vietnamese) 
  13. ^ "'Còn nhiều người chờ chúng tôi đến cứu'", VnExpress, 27 September 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-27. (Vietnamese) 
  14. ^ "International SOS Assists Victims of Can Tho Bridge Collapse", amchamvietnam.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-27. (English) 
  15. ^ Collapse of Can Tho Bridge, dozens killed,(Vietnamese)
  16. ^ "Tìm thấy thêm xác nạn nhân ở Cần Thơ", bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-09-27. (Vietnamese) 

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 10°03′18″N, 105°47′39″E