Yangon–Naypyidaw–Mandalay Expressway under rapid repair after earthquake damage
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Phyo (NP News) - Dec 10
The Yangon– Naypyidaw –Mandalay Expressway, Myanmar’s busiest and fastest transport corridor, is undergoing rapid repairs after being severely damaged in the recent Mandalay earthquake. Though the epicenter was near Mandalay and Sagaing, with key sections of the expressway cracking and collapsing, it became an essential lifeline for emergency relief operations at that time.
Despite the damage, authorities moved quickly to reopen the expressway to essential traffic. Temporary repair methods and heavy machinery were deployed from Naypyidaw to reconnect broken road sections and restore movement for emergency teams.
“There were broken sections and cut-off points, especially in the Bago and Mandalay segments. We mobilized all available machinery to carry out emergency repairs and reopen the priority sections as fast as possible,” an official explained to the Statesman Journal.
Construction sites can now be seen throughout the Yangon–Mandalay Expressway as repair work continues. Due to the heavy traffic load, only one lane is being closed at a time. Officials are urging the users to be patient and exercise extra caution in both construction and earthquake-affected zones.
“Even if we divert vehicles to the roadside, it’s still not convenient because the expressway is very busy. Since the detour is just a dirt path, it becomes dusty and difficult to use. So, we are closing one lane at a time to carry out repairs. That’s why we want to ask drivers to be a bit more careful and patient when driving through both the construction areas and the sections that were damaged by the earthquake. We will continue working on this. For the places that were severely damaged, once we dig them up, the concrete work will be completed. We expect to finish these repairs by around mid-January,” the official added.
In addition to roadway damage, several bridges were affected by the earthquake. The Swa Chaung Bridge, which normally accommodates separate forward and return traffic on two bridges, had one of its structures heavily damaged. As a result, both directions are currently sharing a single bridge while reconstruction is underway. The Dokhtawaddy Bridge also needs to be rebuilt.
“The Swa Chaung Bridge project is being completed with this year’s budget. One of the two bridges is completely unusable, so a new return bridge is being built. Once it is opened, we will move on to rebuilding the older structure. When both lanes are restored, traffic congestion should ease,” an official explained.
According to the Ministry of Construction, the goal is to restore the expressway to its pre-earthquake condition by the end of the fiscal year. Disaster relief budgets have been allocated for three levels of priority work, with urgent and potentially dangerous repairs categorized as the first priority.
“We are targeting coming mid-January for completion of the most critical work,” the ministry confirmed.
Separate from the repair work, the government is continuing an ongoing upgrade project to transform the expressway into a four-lane asphalt concrete road. Roadside and median tree-planting efforts also continue, gradually turning the once barren roadway into a greener and more visually appealing corridor.