Stretching approximately 37 km through forested terrain in the Truong Son Range, Component Project 2 of the Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot Expressway Construction Investment Project is considered the most challenging of the three component projects.

Component Project 2, invested in by the Railway Project Management Board under the Ministry of Construction, has an elevation difference of roughly 500 m. Its complex terrain as well as geological conditions have posed significant challenges to the transportation of materials and equipment alongside construction.

Overview of Package XL01 under Component Project 2 of the Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot Expressway.

To access construction sites, the investor and contractors spent more than one year completing approximately 44 km of access roads, mainly following trails along with forest roads, with more than 20 branches leading to construction fronts. During the rainy season, these routes become muddy and slippery, while landslides and traffic disruptions occur frequently, affecting the material transport coupled with construction progress.

Beyond difficult access conditions, the project also involves a substantial portfolio of technically demanding structures, comprising 4 mountain tunnels, 38 bridges, 21 underpasses for local residents and drainage facilities. These technically demanding items require complex construction arrangements as well as simultaneous deployment across multiple fronts.

Racing against the schedule

Despite these challenges, hundreds of engineers and workers remain on site around the clock at construction sites to accelerate progress.

At Package XL01, led by a consortium headed by Deo Ca Group, work is advancing rapidly across multiple construction fronts. The approximately 11-km package runs through rugged terrain in the Truong Son Range along the boundary between Khanh Hoa and Dak Lak provinces. It comprises the 1.7-km Phuong Hoang Tunnel, 10 bridges alongside 5.6 km of roadway, making it a critical path item determining the schedule of the entire project.

Contractors accelerating road construction under Component Project 2.

Under the contract, the package is scheduled to be completed within 1,260 days, from January 5, 2024 to June 18, 2027. However, to put the entire Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot Expressway into operation before December 31, 2026, Package XL01 must bring its completion date forward by approximately 6 months.

According to Mr. Pham Van Hung, Deputy General Director of Deo Ca Group, in response to the requirement to accelerate progress, the units have proactively adjusted their construction plans, added construction fronts, mobilised maximum manpower and equipment resources, combined with maintained continuous construction on a three-shift, four-team basis. To date, the entire route has reached approximately 90% completion. Excavation, arch reinforcement and foundation excavation for the Phuong Hoang Tunnel have been completed, while concrete lining has reached approximately 90% of the planned volume.

At the Chu Te Tunnel site under Package XL03, engineers together with workers are accelerating construction of slope reinforcement systems, foundation lowering and shotcrete works at both the western alongside eastern portals. Concrete lining has currently exceeded 75% of the planned volume.

According to Mr. Pham Van Trinh, Deputy Director of the Railway Project Management Board, in implementing the direction of the Ministry of Construction, the investor has required contractors' managers to be permanently stationed on site to promptly address emerging issues, direct construction activities and coordinate with relevant units in resolving difficulties. Contractors have also been required to mobilise maximum financial, human, material combined with equipment resources, maintain three-shift, four-team construction, as well as revise detailed plans for each delayed item to make up lost time.

Translated by KHUONG THAO