New suspension bridges planned for poor areas According to the Transport Ministry's plan, suspension bridges will be built in poor areas before the rainy season and nearly 1,200 bridges across the country will be constructed and repaired.   Workers repair a collapsed suspension bridge in Vinh Thach District, Binh Dinh Province.  The plan, which was proposed by the Viet Nam Road Administration last month, aims to build 1,190 suspension bridges in 28 cities and provinces in mountainous and highlands regions and will accordingly build 186 new bridges in needy areas with a capital investment fund of VND1.7 trillion (US$79.9 million). The ministry has also proposed to the government to use a part of the state budget for construction in accident-prone places. Speaking at a meeting on suspension bridges attended by the ministry officials, experts, consultants, and investors on Tuesday, Transport Minister Dinh La Thang requested the relevant agencies to work on the construction of the 186 bridges in the safest, quickest, and the most effective manner in order to achieve their objective. "The plan aims to provide transportable bridges for the local residents and non-motorised vehicles in needy areas. Hence, the investment will suffice for those bridges under 2.5 metres and have a life of 25 years," he remarked. "Localities with higher demand for bridges should chalk out their own detailed plan," he noted. The minister specifically urged the agencies to accelerate the work on Sam Lang suspension bridge in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien's Na Hy Commune. The construction plan for the bridge was finalised soon after the release of a video clip showing local teachers and students individually climbing into large nylon bags and being pulled across the stream by a strong swimmer to school. "The construction work should be completed on the anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Battle [which ended the 100-year French rule in Indochina on May 7, 1954]," he emphasised. A report released by the ministry late last month revealed that over 40 per cent of more than 1,940 suspension bridges across the country are in need of urgent repairs or needed to be rebuilt. "The bridges are unsafe and pose a threat to the local people, thereby raising the urgency of building and repairing by the local authorities to prevent fatal accidents," remarked Pham Quang Vinh, the deputy director of the Viet Nam Road Administration. "However, it is necessary to identify the places that really need the investment as well as what kind of bridge should be built to suit the local transportation needs and ensure the quality of the constructed bridges," he pointed out. VNS