HCMC – A consulting firm has proposed banning trucks of over 30 tons and coaches of more than 30 seats from the Cam Lo-La Son Expressway in the wake of deadly accidents on this two-lane road.
Heavy-duty trucks often travel at a slower speed than the allowed 80 kilometers per hour on this expressway, forcing cars and big interprovincial buses to overtake slow moving trucks, even on sections where they are prohibited from doing so, and thus causing danger to others and themselves.
If the proposal is approved, nearly 3,500 vehicles would be diverted to National Highway 1A a day.
Truong Son Consulting Joint Stock Company presented the proposal at a meeting on traffic rearrangement for the expressway, organized by the Department for Roads of Vietnam on February 27.
The suggestion is based on the traffic volume on the expressway and National Highway 1A in Quang Tri Province, which runs parallel to the expressway, observed from March 15 to 17.
An estimated 10,000 vehicles use the Cam Lo-La Son expressway a day, with trucks accounting for nearly half. With two lanes and no concrete median, the expressway can accommodate 9,000 to 11,000 vehicles per day.
Meanwhile, over 26,000 vehicles travel on National Highway 1A a day, but heavy-duty trucks make up only 37%. With a capacity of accommodating 31,000-33,500 vehicles per day, National Highway 1A has enough room for about 6,000 more vehicles.
Relevant authorities, including the consulting company, highlighted the feasibility of diverting vehicles to National Highway 1A.
At the meeting, the Department for Roads of Vietnam, which is under the Ministry of Transport, threw its support behind the proposal to ban big vehicles on the Cam Lo – La Son Expressway. However, more feedback will be needed from relevant agencies before reorganizing traffic on the expressway.
The Cam Lo-La Son Expressway has a total length of nearly 100 kilometers and connects Quang Tri and Thua-Thien Hue provinces.
In the initial investment phase, it has only two lanes and will be widened in the subsequent phases. Overtaking is not uncommon on the expressway, making it dangerous to travel on it. Since it was opened to traffic in late 2022, a dozen accidents have happened, with five people killed.
