STILL OUT OF COMMISSION The 453.7-meter Ungka flyover, which straddles Iloilo City and the town of Pavia and costs P680 million to build, opened for only four months, from June to September 2022, after the structure was observed to be “sinking.” This photo was taken on April 25, 2022, before the flyover was opened to motorists. —DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS-WESTERN VISAYAS PHOTO
ILOILO CITY — Repair works done on a controversial flyover in Iloilo are almost done.
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Western Visayas Director Sanny Boy Oropel said they are on track to meet their commitment to fully reopen the P680-million Ungka flyover by Christmas Day, Dec. 25, this year.
He urged the public not to worry about reported debris from the flyover which is part of the finishing touches of the rectification works.
Oropel, in an interview, said he inspected the structure, which straddles Iloilo City and Pavia, Iloilo on Nov. 28.
The DPWH official observed that the “debris” being complained about by the public on social media was wet mortar that dripped and spilled through nets and platforms that they installed.
This mortar was part of their grouting works which he stated were essential in the finishing stages of the flyover’s rectification process.
“When we were grouting and applying finishing (touches), it so happened that the mortar grout dripping from the plaster, which sometimes cannot be controlled by the masons, spilled over the railings and through the net,” Oropel explained.
READ: Controversial Iloilo flyover to get temporary two-way traffic
“Unfortunately, the net installed by the contractor was like a [1/4 mesh hardware cloth], so since the mortar was wet concrete, some of it kept dripping down [to the ground],” he added.
Oropel said the public need not worry as they already put plastic sacks as replacement for the nets to ensure that the wet mortar would no longer drip down.
The 453.7-meter flyover has faced setbacks and structural concerns.
READ: Controversial Iloilo flyover contractor bags rectification contract
In June 2022, the Ungka flyover was opened to the public but was closed in September of the same year after public complaints over the “wavy feel” while driving over it as well as reports and images of flooding at the top of the flyover during rainy days.
The structure was funded through the efforts of former Senator Franklin Drilon to cut travel time to the Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan town.
The DPWH has spent additional expenses for the flyover, including P13.48 million in 2023 for a third-party consultant to investigate the concerns.
For the actual rectification works, which began this year, they allocated P95.95 million for Phase 1, which was awarded to Davao City-based Monolithic Construction and Concrete Products Inc., and P192.25 million for Phase 2, which was awarded to the flyover’s original development contractor, International Builders Corporation.