With the government allotting P1.08 billion to develop bridges in Metro Manila, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is ensuring that the reconstruction methods and processes involved in the retrofitting, rehabilitation, and replacement of old and weak bridges in the metropolis is on a par with international standards.
DPWH Regional Director for the National Capital Region (NCR) Melvin B. Navarro said the government is employing at least four guidelines in the implementation of its 36 bridge projects in Metro Manila.
These are the following: standards on bridge design, standards on seismic preparations, bridge specification standards by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation, and the guidelines for submission plans and program works.
“To ensure the integrity of the bridges that will undergo retrofitting works, the load capacity of the said bridges is constrained, meaning vehicles that are over the set allowed limit are not allowed to pass through the bridge and are detoured or rerouted,” he told the BusinessMirror.
Based on a document sent by the agency, there are 36 bridges in 10 cities in Metro Manila that will be strengthened to conform with the standard design under the agency’s design and seismic guidelines to make them more resilient to national disasters.
“Among the priority projects in NCR, we focus on the implementation of repair and replacement of bridges that need seismic upgrade. That’s why we have allocated P726.782 million to retrofit a total of 26 bridges, P323.753 million to rehabilitate nine bridges and P25 million to replace one bridge under the 2018 General Appropriations Act,” Navarro said.
Bridges that will be retrofitted or strengthened include: Alabang-Bayanan, Cupang, Insular Bilibid Prison and Lower Buli Bridges in Muntinlupa City; C.P. Garcia and Pasig Boulevard Bridges in Pasig City; Quezon Bridge in Taguig City; Pasong Tamo Bridge in Makati City; Canumay, Polo, Malinta Interchange and Torres Bridges in Valenzuela City; and the Algeciras, Antipolo, McArthur, Muelle dela Industria Bridges, and Nagtahan Link Bridge 1 in Manila City.
Culiat Bridges 1 and 2 (Northbound and Southbound) and Lagarian Bridge 1 in Quezon City; Cut-Cut Bridge (Northbound), Cementina. Malibay Bridge 1 and 2 (Northbound and Southbound), and Tramo Bridge in Pasay City; and the Marcos Alvarez Bridge 1 in Las Piñas City will likewise be retrofitted.
Major rehabilitation will be implemented on the following bridges: Barangca Viaduct (Flyover), Marcos, Marikina, and Nangka Bridges in Marikina City; Buting Bridge and C-5/Ortigas Interchange in Pasig City; and Delpan, Mabini Bridges and Nagtahan Flyover in Manila City.
The Tripa de Gallina Bridge in Pasay City which is rapidly deteriorating will be totally replaced.
He explained that these projects are designed to “ensure that bridges will incur limited damage and will be functional after calamity with structure repair done within short period of time.”
Aside from these, there are also 12 other priority bridges that were funded by the 2015 to 2017 budget that are set to be rehabilitated this year to “provide better and safer travel to motorists.”
“Bridge projects that involve widening will help ease the traffic…that the volume of vehicles that can pass through are increased and bottlenecks between the bridge approach and bridge will be eliminated,” Navarro said.
He added that traffic in the areas where the bridge projects will be implemented will be affected in various levels.
“The construction of these bridges will definitely affect the traffic in those areas where the scope of work of the project is total replacement or reconstruction or widening like Tripa de Gallina Bridge and Marcos Bridge. In cases where the scope of work is only retrofitting, like the rest of our list projects, then it will not affect much,” Navarro said.