Directive No. 04/2005/CT-BGTVT on Improving the Quality of Survey, Design, Construction Organization, and Operation Management of Expressways

DIRECTIVE

On Improving the Quality of Survey and Design Work, Organizing Construction andOperation and

Management of Expressways

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In recent years, the transport sector has initially invested in and constructed several high-standard routes such as National Highway I from Hanoi to Cau Giay, Hanoi to Bac Ninh, the Trans-Asia Highway, and other routes. These routes, once put into operation, have shown good effectiveness, meeting the increasing volume of transportation and serving as a basis for the sector to accumulate experience for the development of expressway networks in the future. However, the quality of survey and design work, organizing construction, and managing expressways has not yet reached a high level, revealing some unreasonable issues.

To further improve the quality of project investment preparation work (feasibility study report), survey and design, organizing construction, and managing expressways, addressing the shortcomings identified in recent times, the Minister of Transport instructs relevant organizations and individuals to strictly implement the following contents:

1. General Requirements

a) Project investors, Project Management Boards, reviewing and auditing agencies, advisory bodies, and related units of the Ministry of Transport must comply with the provisions set out in this Directive.

b) Adhere to construction standards, standards that have been compulsorily applied by the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Transport, and standards, procedures; regulations decided by the Ministry of Transport to be applied for each specific project at the feasibility study stage.

c) Study and refer to the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Road Network approved by the Prime Minister in Document No. 951/CP-QHQT dated July 7, 2004, to ensure that the design and construction of expressways align with the trend of developing road infrastructure in the region.

2. Regarding survey work

a) Must ensure sufficient initial data and accuracy of topographic, geological, hydrological, material source system, internal and external traffic network data when designing and organizing the construction of the route. Particularly in areas passing through deep excavation zones and weak geological conditions, detailed geological survey plans must be established, proposing surveying and investigation methods to ensure reliable survey results.

b) Survey and land clearance investigation work must reflect reality accurately, without causing cost overruns during the implementation phase of the project.

c) In cases where the Contractor is responsible for conducting surveys to prepare construction drawings but does not have a Consulting Organization with adequate capacity, qualifications, and legal entity status, they must contract with an independent Consultant with adequate legal entity status and capacity to carry out this work.

3. Regarding design work

a) Strictly adhere to the regulations regarding geometric factors (alignment, profile, cross-section) of the route.

b) Technical design must be consistent with the approved investment project, ensuring sustainable development requirements, particularly paying attention to land use planning and related planning, as well as the implementation of reasonable phased investment stages, ensuring that subsequent phases do not affect the outcomes of previous phases.

c) Reasonably arrange intersection systems, aesthetically pleasing, consistent with related planning, and ensuring operational safety. Select optimal solutions for intersection forms, intersection spacing, combined with the bypass system, and traffic junctions.

d) When arranging median strips on the cross-section, in principle, must comply with the provisions of the standard approved by the Ministry of Transport for application to the project and refer to recommendations stated in the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Road Network. Propose alternative median strip structures only in truly special cases.

đ) Must have solutions to handle subgrade through weak soil areas, ensuring expressway operation requirements. A construction technology process must be established and approved by the competent authority for constructing embankments through weak soil areas, including the requirement to fully equip monitoring systems during construction to compare actual settlement with design calculations to proactively adjust the construction process or propose appropriate technical solutions; Pay particular attention to the design and construction of subgrade treatment at the interface with structures along the route (culverts, overpasses, and other structures).

e) In the technical design dossier, there must be landscape design content for expressways, including tree belt design solutions, lighting, architectural design for bridges, overpasses, roads, service stations, static traffic, and traffic junctions.

g) For pavement structure, depending on the design traffic volume and speed requirements, propose a reasonable pavement structure, including specifications for the wearing course and pavement smoothness.

h) Along with designing the expressway route, complete the design and construction of the bypass system and internal rural roads outside the highway fence to meet the traffic needs of vehicles not allowed on the expressway as recommended in the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Road Network.

i) The road traffic sign system on the expressway must be designed and arranged according to the Road Traffic Sign Regulations 22 TCN 237-01 and the system of "Expressway Direction Signs" (the Ministry will issue the expressway direction sign standard in 2005).

k) There must be a design for the central control and management system of expressway operations.

4. Regarding construction organization work

a) Standards applicable to each project, approved by the competent authority at the investment preparation stage, serve as the basis for compiling Technical Specifications. Technical Specifications are mandatory content in tender documents and constitute the construction process, quality control, and acceptance conditions for individual and overall project components.

It is necessary to establish detailed and comprehensive Technical Regulations so that Contractors have technological measures to meet the technical requirements stipulated in the Technical Regulations, and Supervisors and Project Owners can rely on these regulations to monitor quality, progress, and acceptance of construction components, minimize negative impacts on the natural and social environment, and limit effects on the lives and activities of residents on both sides of the expressway.

b) Strictly control the supply of construction materials and related products in accordance with current provisions of the Quality of Goods Ordinance and Decree No. 179/2004/NĐ-CP dated October 21, 2004 of the Government.

c) The Contractor must ensure compliance with the proper sequence and construction technology for laying the base course using synchronized equipment chains suitable for the project. In cases where sand must be used for the road base, only types of sand meeting technical standards shall be utilized, along with technical solutions ensuring the stability and solidity of the filled road base and sealing all joints and deformation gaps of cross-drainage structures and municipal culverts across the road, preventing any joint openings even during consolidation settlement of the road base. The technical specifications and appropriate thickness of the fill soil layers covering the slopes must also be ensured. These layers must be constructed simultaneously with the sand base layers, and adequate transverse drainage systems and reverse filter layers must be installed at the outlets as prescribed.

d) Closely supervise the assurance of the correct sequence of filling at locations where the construction site adjoins the filled base.

e) The Project Owner or its representative must ensure the presence of a competent and effective Consultant system to assist the Project Owner in monitoring, controlling, inspecting quality, progress, and addressing issues during construction. Firmly deal with consultants who engage in negative behaviors affecting the quality of the project. Heads of consulting units assigned tasks must be responsible before the Minister for supervising and managing their unit's consulting engineers.

5. Regarding operation management

a) Entrust the Vietnam Highway Administration to study international experiences, based on the management experience of existing high-grade roads in Vietnam, to develop standards and regulations for the management and operation of expressways to submit to the Ministry for approval and implementation.

A centralized operational and management system, including facilities for management and operation, and permanent mobile teams to handle any incidents on the route to ensure safe, smooth, and continuous traffic flow for vehicles, is an indispensable component when implementing expressway construction projects to guarantee operational efficiency.

6. Implementation organization

Ministers, heads of agencies at the level of ministries, heads of agencies under the Government, and chairmen of provincial people's committees directly under the central government are responsible for implementing this directive.

Request the Heads of Departments, Bureaus, Institutes, Project Management Boards, Departments of Transport, Departments of Transport and Public Works, Corporations, Consulting Organizations, and relevant individuals to promptly implement this Directive.