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By William B. Depasupil Reporter
FOUR major bridges in Metro
Manila could collapse unless they are repaired or rebuilt soon, the
Department of Public Works and Highways warned Friday.
Already in a dangerous state are
Ayala Bridge and Jones Bridge in Manila, Tullahan Bridge in
Valenzuela and Guadalupe Bridge in Makati City, an inspection
conducted by the DPWH’s Inspectorate Team, composed of civil
engineers, architects and structural engineers, revealed.
The team found that most of the
steel supports of the spans were already corroded.
The results of the inspection
prompted DPWH Officer in Charge Manuel Bonoan to order work on the
bridges to begin immediately.
The rehabilitation would cost
about P200 million.
Bonoan said that of the four
bridges, Ayala, which is near Malacañang, is in the worst condition
and requires the “most urgent” attention.
“The steel gilders underneath
are in an advanced state of corrosion,” Bonoan told The Manila
Times over the phone. He said there are also cracks in the bridge
caused by collisions with barges during high tide.
Tullahan, Jones and Guadalupe
have similar defects, he said.
Bonoan also pointed out that the
bridges were built 50 to 80 years ago and the steel used in building
them were of poor quality.
Jose Balete, chief of DPWH’s
Construction Division, said a load limit of 10 tons, equivalent to
two trucks with container vans, has already been imposed on Tullahan
Bridge to protect it from further deterioration.
“It’s already dangerous. It
vibrates when heavy vehicles pass by,” Balete said, adding that
the bridge would be totally close when construction starts this
month.
Tullahan is commonly taken by
heavy trailers and trucks that deliver products from the warehouses
and factories in Valenzuela and by passenger buses and jeepneys
coming from Bulacan.
Bonoan said a standby fund is
already available for the purpose and work has begun on Ayala
Bridge. The repair of Jones and Guadalupe bridges would soon follow.
Bonoan said Guadalupe Bridge was
built in the 1950’s when EDSA, the longest road network in Metro
Manila, was still known as Highway 54.
Records show that Ayala and Jones
bridges were built in the 1920’s as part of the grand design to
transform Manila’s civic center into a showcase of neoclassical
architecture.
Tullahan was built in 1940.
The Ayala, Jones and Guadalupe
bridges are all span the Pasig River, Manila’s main waterway.
“I have already instructed NCR
Director Josefino Rigor to speed up the scheduled repair work on the
said bridges to assure the continuous flow of traffic. We are also
taking into consideration the increase of the bridge clearance to 6
meters because the water level has increased due to the siltation of
the Pasig River, especially during high tide,” Bonoan said.
He said the repair of the north
lane of Ayala Bridge is expected to be completed by the third week
of March, while the opposite lane is scheduled to be repaired within
30 days.
The bridge rehabilitation program
is one of the priority projects of the DPWH in line with its
earthquake preparedness program to ensure the structural integrity
of bridges, flyover, spillways and other related structures all over
the country.
The DPWH has set aside P2.1
billion for the repair and rehabilitation of bridges nationwide.
The project is funded by the
Asian Development Bank through the ADB’s 6th Road Project, Japan
Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and the Philippine
government. It covers a total of 137 bridges across the country.
Of the said number, retrofitting
and repair have been completed in 57 bridges at a cost of P582
million.
Since last year, the DPWH has
inspected 329 bridges in Metro Manila, and found that 40 bridges
need retrofitting against earthquakes, 10 bridges need
reconstruction, 24 bridges are up for repair or strengthening and
289 bridges require routine maintenance.
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