RAILWAY developer and operator Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) has completed the structural restoration of the parapets, river bridges and faulty concrete at the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1, a ranking company official said on Tuesday.
Juan F. Alfonso, the company’s president, said his group was successful at restoring the portions of the facility that have been “battling inclement weather and the myriad vibrations caused by up to 554 trips a day” over the course of 35 years.
“LRT 1 has been here for 35 years. The project ensures that it will be here for the next 30. The project completion strengthens our confidence in ensuring passenger safety,” he said.
Initiated in 2018 through a P980-million investment, the structural-restoration project also involved repairs on the concrete surfaces of the parapets, sandblasting to remove corrosion, and repainting.
“We also installed new collision dampers at certain pile caps to protect bridges from ship collision,” Alfonso noted.
He added that through the initiative, the facility’s viaduct now has a continuous row of noise barriers running along its 20-kilometer length, helping reduce the noise generated by trains that affect nearby schools, apartments and offices.
The collision bumper of river bridges near the Pasig River was also replaced to protect the viaduct beam from collision with barge or flat-bottomed vessel transporting freight or passengers along the river.
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