From 3 p.m. on September 10, all vehicles are prohibited from passing through Long Bien Bridge due to the rising water level of the Red River, posing a risk to traffic safety. The Hanoi Department of Transport said that this decision will be applied until the floodwaters recede and safety conditions are ensured.
The water level of the Red River in Hanoi has risen to alert level one, reaching 9.5m, the highest level since 2008. This is the result of a major flood caused by the impact of storm number 3 (storm Yagi), with heavy rain, hydroelectric plants simultaneously releasing floodwaters, causing many areas on the main rivers of the North to suddenly rise. This water level is only one step away from alert level three, the highest level in the flood warning system, creating a very big risk to the structure of Long Bien Bridge.
Flood water level rose close to the bridge
The same morning, the railway industry also decided to temporarily suspend all trains crossing Long Bien Bridge. Trains on the Hanoi - Hai Phong route had to change direction at Gia Lam station to ensure safety. The Hanoi - Lao Cai railway line also temporarily suspended operations due to heavy flooding at many points on the route, especially the sections passing through Yen Bai.
To avoid traffic congestion, the Department of Transport has instructed people and vehicles to travel through other bridges across the Red River such as Chuong Duong, Nhat Tan, Thanh Tri, Vinh Tuy and Thang Long. These are main bridges with large load capacity and are operating stably. In particular, cars with a load capacity of over 0.5 tons and passenger cars, contract cars, and tourist cars with over 9 seats are only allowed to travel through Thang Long, Nhat Tan, Thanh Tri and Vinh Tuy bridges. This puts greater pressure on traffic through the remaining bridges, especially during rush hours.
Faced with the complicated developments of the floods, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, Mr. Tran Sy Thanh, issued a dispatch requesting the authorities to urgently review and inspect the status of bridge works in the area. Specifically, bridges over rivers, temporary bridges and pontoon bridges must be carefully inspected to promptly detect safety risks. In case of detecting signs of danger on bridge works, units must quickly suspend operation for repair or upgrade.
Many areas on Long Bien bridge have degraded.
Currently, with Long Bien Bridge and part of Chuong Duong Bridge temporarily suspended, traffic across the Red River in Hanoi is facing many difficulties. Pressure is being placed on the remaining bridges, especially during rush hours. To reduce the load, traffic police forces are being increased at important intersections to regulate and divert traffic in a timely manner.
In addition, authorities are also encouraging people to use public transport such as buses to reduce traffic on main roads. At the same time, strict control of heavy vehicles crossing other bridges is considered an important measure to ensure traffic safety in the context of complicated weather developments.
With the forecast of continued heavy rain and flooding, the ban on traffic on Long Bien Bridge and traffic diversion measures are considered necessary to ensure people’s safety. Hanoi authorities have pledged to closely monitor and provide timely solutions to minimize the impact on traffic in the coming time.
