Construction of the tunnel connecting Ha Tinh and Quang Tri provinces to conclude before the end of the year.
The Đèo Ngang Tunnel expansion project, which started in January 2025 with an investment of VND 219 billion (approximately US$8.6 million), has made significant progress and is on track for completion by the end of this year. Excavation was completed one month ahead of schedule in early August 2025, marking a milestone in the project's development.
Following the excavation, construction shifted to pouring concrete segments for the 555m-long structural section of the 650m tunnel. The expansion will add an additional tunnel tube with two lanes, each 10.5 meters wide, designed for traffic speeds up to 80 km/h. This expansion aims to ease congestion on National Highway 1 through the Hoành Sơn mountain range between Hà Tĩnh and Quảng Trị provinces.
Sông Đà 10 company, with a team of 120 workers and engineers, along with more than 40 machines, is constructing 57 tunnel segments. The goal is to complete one segment approximately every two days. Workers have been working day and night to make up for the lost time due to a two-month delay in site clearance on the southern side of the tunnel.
The project currently faces challenges, including complex blasting and excavation through mountainous terrain and tight deadlines. However, these challenges are being managed with 24/7 work shifts and continuous logistics improvements, including the benefit of direct material transport through the completed tunnel excavation.
Upon completion, National Highway 1 will feature two tunnel tubes and four traffic lanes. The Đông Bò Bridge, which is 171.1m long, and the Đông Mười Bridge, which is 43.2m, are also part of the project and are currently at the pier and girder installation stage. The contractor has committed to completing the bridges and approach roads in parallel with the new Đèo Ngang tunnel.
One of the key considerations for the project is the power grid safety issue, as two 500kV lines are located right on top of the tunnel. Phạm Văn Tuấn, technical officer at Long Hưng Construction Company, is in charge of constructing the two bridges connected to the Đèo Ngang Tunnel expansion.
Last week, the final blasting was conducted to remove the last remaining rock masses, officially completing tunnel excavation through the Hoành Sơn range. The Đèo Ngang Tunnel expansion project is being executed around the clock to ensure its successful completion by the end of 2025. Sông Đà 10 company, with its experience in constructing hydropower plant tunnels, is confident in delivering the project on schedule.
AI-driven construction management systems are streamlining the process of constructing tunnel segments, ensuring the efficiency of the 120 workers and engineers at Sông Đà 10 company.
In the finance sector, investments in the transportation industry continue to be attracted by the economic growth potential of Vietnam's National Highway 1, particularly with the3 Đèo Ngang Tunnel expansion project's progress.
