Midday on February 12, Project Management Board 2 announced the opening of the 88 km Quang Ngai - Hoai Nhon expressway, spanning Quang Ngai and Gia Lai, for traffic from 11 a.m. to serve Tet holiday travel needs. However, many drivers who subsequently entered the expressway were forced to turn back, causing prolonged congestion at the gateway area.

The access road to the Quang Ngai - Hoai Nhon expressway experienced prolonged congestion on the afternoon of February 12. Photo: Pham Linh

Project Management Board 2 stated that during the operational assessment, the road encountered several issues related to ensuring operational safety, especially incident handling. Consequently, it was not yet ready to open to traffic as planned.

At the Deo Ca tunnel, which connects Khanh Hoa with Dak Lak, thousands of cars experienced extended congestion on both the southern and northern sides from the morning of the same day. As midday approached, the volume of vehicles intensified, with many moving only a few meters at a time. At one point, it took cars approximately 30 minutes to travel 200 m.

Hoang Hieu, a driver from Quang Nam working in Khanh Hoa, reported that despite anticipating Tet holiday traffic jams on National Highway 1 and departing at 3 a.m., he still encountered a traffic queue stretching over 3 km on the northern side of the Deo Ca tunnel, moving slowly through the toll booth. "It took over one hour to travel 3 km", Hieu said.

Many cars pulled into gas stations to rest and avoid traffic jams. Photo: Ngoc Oanh

From about 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., congestion worsened. Many families had to pull into gas stations and roadside stops to rest, waiting for traffic to clear.

A leader from the Ninh Hoa Traffic Police Station (Traffic Police Department of Khanh Hoa Provincial Police) explained that the congestion occurred due to a sudden surge in vehicle volume at the same time. The concentration of vehicles at the toll booth further increased traffic pressure.

A long line of cars was congested at Deo Ca. Photo: Hoang Sao

To alleviate pressure near the Deo Ca tunnel, authorities implemented remote traffic regulation. When vehicle density became high, traffic police directed cars from the Van Phong - Nha Trang expressway onto National Highway 1 at the intersections with National Highway 26 and National Highway 27C, reducing the burden on the tunnel.

According to authorities, in the days leading up to Tet, the vehicle volume through the Deo Ca tunnel approximately doubled compared to normal days. This was primarily in the south-north direction, as people from Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Khanh Hoa, and other areas traveled home. Traffic in the opposite direction remained clear.

"By early this afternoon, the southern side of the tunnel (Khanh Hoa province) had cleared, while the northern side of the tunnel (Dak Lak province) still experienced minor congestion", a leader from the Ninh Hoa Traffic Police Station stated.

Bui Toan - Pham Linh - Tran Hoa