Regulations on suspension of expressway operation under the Law on Road 2024

Regulations on suspension of expressway operation under the Law on Road 2024 (Image from Internet)

Regulations on suspension of expressway operation under the Law on Road 2024

Expressway is a technical category of road, designated for specific types of motor vehicles and specialized machinery as stipulated by law. It includes a median strip separating two separate lanes of traffic, no same-level intersections with other roads, designated entry and exit points, protective barriers, service equipment, ensuring continuous and safe traffic, and shortening travel time.

According to Article 51 of the Law on Road 2024, the suspension of expressway operation refers to temporarily prohibiting road vehicles from using one direction, two directions, a segment, or the entire expressway, except for vehicles performing tasks for the People's Army, the People's Police, vehicles carrying out fire prevention, firefighting, rescue, emergency response, dyke protection, incident remediation, and ensuring road traffic safety duties.

(1) Cases in which the expressway must be suspended include:

- The structure is damaged due to incidents, or due to the consequences of natural disasters making it unsafe for use;

- In case of fire, explosion, or particularly serious traffic accidents necessitating suspension to facilitate rescue and ensure road traffic safety;

- When required for national defense, security, or other special cases as requested by competent state authorities.

(2) When detecting a safety risk, potential incident on the expressway affecting the safety of people, vehicles, and other properties, the expressway manager and user are responsible for the following:

- Timely suspend the use of the expressway, and within no more than 60 minutes from the suspension time, report to the competent authority the reasons for the suspension and take responsibility for their decision;

- Implement measures to ensure the safety of people, vehicles, and other properties; limit and prevent potential dangers to the structure;

- Protect the scene; participate in rescue operations, and resolve traffic congestion;

- Notify the Traffic Police to ensure order and traffic safety on the route, road management authorities, expressway traffic management and operation centers, local authorities.

(3) Upon the suspension of expressway operation, the following tasks must be undertaken:

- The expressway manager and user must urgently implement traffic assurance measures to limit congestion; adjust and supplement road signaling structures and other works to ensure traffic; guide people and vehicles using the expressway; cooperate with the Traffic Police and local authorities in organizing expressway traffic; repair damages, and address existing issues on the expressway to ensure safe usage according to standards and design specifications;

- The Traffic Police are responsible for directing and controlling the traffic;

- Local authorities coordinate to ensure traffic when it is necessary to redirect expressway vehicles to locally managed roads;

- Rescue and relief operations are carried out according to the provisions of the Law on Road 2024, the laws on road traffic order and safety, and other relevant legal provisions in Vietnam.

Tran Trong Tin

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