Hanoi's Department of Transport Infrastructure Maintenance recently submitted a report to Hanoi's Department of Construction, recommending approval for an urgent solution to severe misalignment and displacement affecting many bridge bearings on the elevated Ring Road 3 expressway, Mai Dich - Thang Long Bridge section.

Inspection results show eight bridge bearings at piers P32, P44, P49, and P53 are deformed or displaced. The most severe case is at pier P32, where three bearings have detached from their pedestals. While this situation does not pose an immediate danger, prolonged misalignment and rotational slippage, affecting 30-50% of the contact area, could damage expansion joints, bridge railings, and compromise the overall structure, according to the department's report.

Technical analysis attributes the cause to the natural expansion and deformation of bridge girders under varying loads and temperatures, which pushes the bearings out of position.

Pier P49, one of four piers showing bearing displacement. Photo: Viet An

Pier P49, one of four piers showing bearing displacement. Photo: Viet An

Hanoi Traffic Works Company 2 Joint Stock Company has temporarily installed wooden wedges at the affected bridge bearings. These wedges reduce impact forces and protect the girder ends. To date, the displaced bearings, temporarily secured with wooden blocks, show no unusual developments.

Authorities are currently inspecting all remaining bridge bearings to address any further displacements. To ensure the operational safety of the structure, the Department of Transport Infrastructure Maintenance recommends that the Department of Construction approve a repair plan for significantly displaced bearings. This plan involves jacking and repositioning the bearings to their original design, along with adding bearing restraint frames.

For a long-term solution to prevent future bearing misalignment on other piers, the Department of Transport Infrastructure Maintenance suggests establishing a dedicated project to repair bridge bearings on the elevated Ring Road 3, Mai Dich - Thang Long Bridge section. This project would implement anti-slip solutions for the bearings, similar to those already deployed by the Department of Construction on the elevated Ring Road 3, Phap Van - Mai Dich section.

Displaced bearings temporarily secured with wooden blocks. Photo: Viet An

Displaced bearings temporarily secured with wooden blocks. Photo: Viet An

The elevated Ring Road 3 section, stretching from Mai Dich Bridge to Thang Long Bridge, was initially invested by the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction), with the Thang Long Project Management Board overseeing its development. Hanoi's Department of Construction received and put the section into use in 3/2022.

This section spans over 5,3 km, including more than 4,8 km of elevated viaduct. It features four expressway standard lanes, each 3,75 m wide, two emergency stop lanes, two inner safety strips, and a central median, allowing vehicles to travel at 100 km/h.

The elevated viaduct primarily utilizes Super T girder structures with steel-plate rubber bearings. However, the Hoang Quoc Viet and Do Nhuan interchanges incorporate continuous closed steel box girder spans with pot bearings. The entire project uses 2.286 bridge bearings, with rubber bearings specifically for the Super T girder spans.

Viet An