Circular No. 38/2015/TT-BGTVT amending and supplementing certain articles of Circular No. 11/2014/TT-BGTVT dated April 29, 2014, issued by the Minister of Transport guiding the design, construction, and acceptance of rural suspension bridges.

CIRCULAR

Amending and supplementing some articles of Circular No. 11/2014/TT-BGTVT

dated April 29, 2014, issued by the Minister of Transport guiding the design, construction, and acceptance of rural suspension bridges

work on the design, construction, and acceptance of pedestrian suspension bridges

Based on the Construction Law 2014;

WHEREAS, Decree No. 46/2015/NĐ-CP dated May 12, 2015 of the Government on quality management and maintenance of construction works;

Pursuant to Decree No. 107/2012/NĐ-CP dated December 20, 2012 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Transport;

At the proposal of the Director General of the Vietnam Highway Administration and the Director of the Science and Technology Department,

The Minister of Transport issues this Circular amending and supplementing some articles of Circular No. 11/2014/TT-BGTVT dated April 29, 2014, issued by the Minister of Transport guiding the design, construction, and acceptance of rural suspension bridges.

Article 1. Amending and supplementing some articles of Circular No. 11/2014/TT-BGTVT dated April 29, 2014, issued by the Minister of Transport guiding the design, construction, and acceptance of rural suspension bridges

1. Amending and supplementing Point d, Point đ Clause 10 Article 4 as follows:

“d) In addition to the main cable system, vertical and horizontal vibration-resistant cables must be arranged for the bridge deck beams.

đ) For spans ≤ 50 m or with a ratio B/L ≥ 1/25, horizontal vibration-resistant cables may not be required; for spans 50m < L ≤ 80 m or with a ratio 1/35 ≤ B/L < 1/25, both vertical and horizontal vibration-resistant cables can be arranged simultaneously; for spans > 80m or with a ratio B/L < 1/35, separate vertical and horizontal vibration-resistant cables must be arranged to ensure stability.”

2. Amending and supplementing Clause 4, Clause 8 Article 5 as follows:

“4. Bridges in mountainous areas should not be located upstream of waterfalls; if necessary, they must be at least 2 km away from the waterfall or the bridge piers must be placed higher than the top of the waterfall, and special protective measures must be taken for people and vehicles passing through the bridge.”

“8. Rural suspension bridges shall not be located within a 1 km radius from hydropower dam areas. If necessary, hydropower parameters must be provided to ensure the stability of the structure.”

3. Amending and supplementing Point b Clause 2 Article 8 as follows:

“b) The load factor for vehicles and pedestrians is set at 1.5; the impact effect of live loads from pedestrians and simple vehicles will not be considered.”

4. Amending and supplementing Clause 4 and Clause 8 Article 9 as follows:

“4. The relative crown of the bridge deck after completion must reach a value not less than 1.5L/100.”

“8. The longitudinal slope of the approach road to the bridge, depending on local conditions, shall not exceed 11%. In particularly difficult terrain cases, the maximum longitudinal slope may be relaxed to 15%.”

5. Amending and supplementing Point đ Clause 1 Article 13 as follows:

“đ) The safety factor of the main cable for limit state design is taken as 0.6.”

Article 2. Repealing Clause 4 Article 6 and Clause 4 Article 15 of Circular No. 11/2014/TT-BGTVT dated April 29, 2014, issued by the Minister of Transport guiding the design, construction, and acceptance of rural suspension bridges

Article 3. Effectiveness and Responsibility for Implementation

1. This Circular takes effect from September 15, 2015.

2. For projects that have already been approved for tendering plans, Circular No. 11/2014/TT-BGTVT dated April 29, 2014, issued by the Minister of Transport guiding the design, construction, and acceptance of rural suspension bridges shall continue to apply.

3. The Head of the Ministry's Office, the Inspector General of the Ministry, the Heads of Departments, the Director General of the Vietnam Highway Administration, the Director of the Construction Management and Quality Control Department of Transportation Infrastructure, the Heads of agencies and units under the Ministry of Transport, the Directors of Provincial and Municipal Departments of Transport, relevant organizations, and individuals are responsible for implementing this Circular.

4. The Vietnam Highway Administration is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the provisions of this Circular.

5. During the implementation process, if there are any difficulties, organizations and individuals should report them to the Ministry of Transport for consideration and resolution./.