BATANGAS CITY—The construction of Calumpang Bridge No. 3 in this city will ease traffic congestion and ensure quicker transport of passengers and goods, Mayor Beverley Dimacuha said as she led the groundbreaking for the new span on July 23.
Dimacuha said the groundbreaking coincided with Batangas City Day, and added it would be a flagship project for the city, which incurred a loan of P338 million from the Land Bank of the Philippines to finance the bridge construction.
Dimacuha, who pushed through with this project conceived by her predecessor, former Mayor Eduardo Dimacuha, led the laying of the time capsule, together with Rep. Marvey A. Marino of the Fifth District of Batangas, Vice Mayor Jun Berberabe and other city officials and department heads.
At present, only two bridges connect the city proper to the eastern portion of the city—Calumpang Bridge and the Bridge of Promise.
As planned, the four-lane Calumpang Bridge No. 3 will be 140 meters long and 15 meters wide and will span Sitio Ferry, Barangay Kumintang Ibaba, Calumpang River and Barangay Gulod Labac.
Included in the project are the approaches, which are 100 meters from the two sides of the bridge.
Roads will be built to connecting the two approaches and will be 353.4 meters in Sitio Ferry, Kumintang Ibaba side and 348.47 meters in Gulod Labac.
The construction of bridge, which has yet to have an official name. is being implemented by the Office of the City Engineer through a build-and-design scheme under contract by Frey-Fil Corp. (FFC.)
FFC Project Manager Ronald Litan said this type of bridge is the “first and only kind in the Philippines, because it will be using the box-girder superstructure scheme, different from the usual I girder being employed in other bridges constructed in the country. This type of superstructure can be seen in in the United Arab Emirates and Europe.”
FFC President and CEO Joachim Enenkel added: “This project will be implemented quickly, with us doing the predominantly precast work, so by May next year, you will have your bridge. We will introduce a technology proven in the Philippines, but the combination of technologies is the first time in the Philippines. You will see a very nice state-of-the-art bridge which, hopefully, would be a trendsetter for the entire country.”
“The Calumpang Bridge No. 3 is a symbol of the collective effort and success of the Batangueños. I am extending my heartfelt gratitude to all who supported and helped in the fulfillment of this dream project, Dimacuha said.
She also thanked the Sangguniang Panlungsod for approving and supporting the project. Mariño said the bridge was just the first of the many projects designed to guarantee the city’s progress.
Hopefully, the lawmaker said, the bridge could help transform the Calumpang River into a tourist attraction, as plans are afoot to put up a park along the waterway and a floating restaurant serve visitors and locals alike.