In the afternoon, Project Management Unit No. 2 under the Ministry of Construction announced the suspension of traffic operations on the Quang Ngai – Hoai Nhon Expressway. The 88-kilometer section, which was set to open at 11 a.m. the same day to meet surging Tet travel demand, was found to have yet to fully satisfy operational safety requirements following a last-minute assessment, particularly in terms of incident response capacity.
The unit requested Deo Ca Traffic Infrastructure Investment Joint Stock Company, in coordination with the contractor consortium, to notify motorists of the suspension, fully close all access points, prevent vehicles from entering the expressway, and regulate traffic at interchanges.
The Quang Ngai – Hoai Nhon section, launched in January 2023, is part of the North–South Expressway East for the 2021–2025 period. The main carriageway has largely been completed, including three tunnels. The route runs from Nghia Giang Commune in Quang Ngai Province, connecting with the Da Nang – Quang Ngai Expressway, to Bong Son Ward in Gia Lai Province, where it links with the Hoai Nhon – Quy Nhon section. It features six interchanges. In its completed phase, the expressway is designed to Grade-120 standards with a maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour, while the initial phase comprises four lanes with a 17-meter-wide roadbed and a design speed of 80 kilometers per hour.
Later the same evening, Project Management Unit 85 also issued an urgent directive suspending the opening and operation of the Hoai Nhon – Quy Nhon section and Package 11-XL (Km0+200 – Km19+800) under the Quy Nhon – Chi Thanh Expressway component project.
According to Mr. Bui Trong Lai, a representative of Project Management Unit 85, although preparations had been completed to open approximately 90 kilometers of expressway across the Hoai Nhon – Quy Nhon and Quy Nhon – Chi Thanh sections in Gia Lai Province, traffic assessments indicated that vehicle volumes could spike sharply once operations began. This raised concerns over potential collisions, congestion, and other traffic safety risks, as well as the lack of full operational synchronization with the Quang Ngai – Hoai Nhon section.
Following consultations with the Ministry of Construction, the Gia Lai provincial People’s Committee, and the Traffic Police Department, the agencies agreed to temporarily suspend traffic on the affected sections to address outstanding issues and ensure safe, synchronized operations across the network.
Mr. Bui Trong Lai said the expressway sections could be opened as early as the morning of February 13, 2026, once safety conditions are fully met.
