Unfinished bridge leaves mountain residents fearing isolation when the rains arrive

Residents in the mountain commune of Tây Khánh Sơn are worried that heavy rains will again cut their communities off because the Ko Róa Bridge remains unfinished.

The bridge has missed its planned schedule, and no construction unit was working at the site in late August. The existing crossing regularly floods during heavy rain, disrupting travel for residents and making it harder for students to reach schools.

Ko Róa lies on a vital provincial route linking mountainous areas of Khánh Hòa with the former Ninh Thuận area and Cam Ranh. The road also carries Khánh Sơn durians and other agricultural products toward markets across Vietnam and overseas.

The bridge forms part of an interregional road project connecting the former Ninh Thuận, Khánh Hòa and Lâm Đồng areas. The nearly 57-kilometer project has an investment of more than 1.929 trillion Vietnamese dong. Ko Róa Bridge was expected to be completed before October 2025.

The provincial project management board said land-clearance problems caused earlier delays. The bridge was designed higher to reduce flood impacts, but residents requested an additional access road. The design therefore had to be adjusted. Several crossings along the route, including Lò Gạch, Ko Róa, Sơn Trung and Tà Lương, regularly flood during the rainy season. Recent landslides on the road to Tà Giang 2 and Ko Róa also left about 60 households isolated after a bridge was completely severed.