CANDABA, Pampanga—The approach of the Bomba Bridge in Barangay San Agustin here connecting this town to Baliuag, Bulacan, collapsed onFriday owing to alleged poor engineering design.
Bomba Bridge is part of the Santa Ana-Candaba-Baliuag Road that crosses the swamp on the southeast portion of the town.
Candaba Councilor-elect Nelson Alonzo said the collapse was aggravated by a six-wheeler truck containing tons of palay that weighed down the bridge’s approach, causing it to fall into a hole nearly 6 to 8 feet deep.
Alonzo said the scouring of the retaining wall a year ago that confined the earth around and underneath the bridge’s approach contributed to the collapse of the bridge approach.
“Bomba Bridge is a crucial link on the road that connects the 11 barangays of the town’s Poblacion region to 15 barangays of the Tagalog region,” he said.
Alonzo added that more than P30 million has been spent by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in constructing the bridge.
Residents here alleged that some aspects of the bridge’s construction were done incorrectly and not according to the design, and that inferior-quality concrete was used.
They said the collapse of the approach could have been prevented if the DPWH performed more stringent inspection and maintenance routines.
“DPWH officials must assume a certain level of maintenance that is necessary for the bridge to live out its intended life span,” a resident added.
As of press time, Bomba Bridge is not passable to all types of vehicles, adversely affecting the daily lives of the residents from 25 out of the 33 barangays of Candaba. Commuters are advised to take the alternate route of San Luis-Candaba Road to go to the public market and town hall.
Image credits: Daniel Mobina