An international seminar, entitled “Sustainable Road Tunnel Operations”, took place in Da Nang on 24 and 25 October.  Many experts attended from France, Spain, Norway, China and Denmark, where they have a lot of experience in the construction and operation of road tunnels, along with some representatives from nationwide localities which have tunnels.  

The event was co-organised by the Viet Nam Road Administration, the Viet Nam Bridge and Road Science and Technology Association, and the PIARC Technical Subcommittee 3.3 of the International Road Association.

The Hai Van Tunnel

The seminar’s agenda was consulting services, design and strategies for construction, air dust processing, and the maintenance and operation of equipment in road tunnels.  The participants were introduced to useful experiences in managing and dealing with unexpected situations during the operation of road tunnels in Viet Nam, such as Hai Van and Thu Thiem, as well as some in foreign countries.

The President of the PIARC Technical Subcommittee 3.3, Mr Ignacio Del Rey, pointed out the need to operate road tunnels in a sustainable manner.  He also stressed the need for road tunnel developers to use environmentally-friendly technologies to minimise the effects of natural disasters and the impact on humans.