Rockwell Bridge as viewed from J.P. Rizal Avenue in Makati. (Photo from Google Maps Street View)
MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said that the steel parts of the Rockwell Bridge, also known as the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge, which links Makati and Mandaluyong, will be repurposed to build another bridge in Pangasinan.
“Kung matatandaan niyo po yung [Estrella-Pantaleon], sabi namin tinanggal yang bridge, pinalitan ng bago. Pero may silbi naman yung pinalitan,” MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia said in a press briefing on Wednesday.
“Yung lumang bridge po ng [Estrella-Pantaleon] ililipat natin sa Pangasinan… So itong tulay na to na sinasabi natin na giniba natin wala nang silbi, napakinabangan po ng more than 25,000 residents,” he added.
[We will transfer the old bridge to Pangasinan… So this bridge that will we’re demolishing, and that people are saying would be useless, will be of use to more than 25,000 people.]
According to the MMDA, the bridge is scheduled to be demolished and replaced to accommodate more vehicles.
READ: ‘Wala nang atrasan’: Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge’s 30-month closure to start Jan. 19
The steel used for framing the old bridge will be repurposed to form the frame structure of another bridge that will be called the Santiago Bridge.
The new bridge, the MMDA said, will connect seven island barangays in Bolinao, Pangasinan to the main island of Luzon.
The transfer of the parts of the old bridge was agreed to by the MMDA and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) after their officials met with the those of the Pangasinan province and former Transport Undersecretary Tim Orbos.
“After its demolition, the steel remnants of Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge will be transported to Pangasinan and will be reused as steel frames for the planned Santiago Bridge as they are still in mint condition,” Orbos said.
Garcia added that the project would “reduce economic and environmental costs to the government.”
“Instead of acquiring again material of the same kind for constructing a bridge, we will just make use of what we already have that are still structurally sound,“ he said.
Officials expect the project to be completed by 2021. /atm