Bottlenecks from flyover repair await school start

CITY OF MALOLOS—Heavy traffic flow will greet schoolchildren here next month when they return to classes because a damaged section of the Malolos flyover has been closed for repairs, officials announced.

Mayor Christian Natividad said the Central Luzon office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) gave the order to close it down because the agency could no longer guarantee its safety unless it is fixed soon.

The flyover, located at a major intersection along the MacArthur Highway, has been closed to traffic since May 12.

Natividad said he had asked the DPWH to speed up repairs to relieve motorists and commuters of traffic jams next month.

Ruel Angeles, head of the DPWH first district engineering office in Bulacan, said the agency has inspected the flyover, but it has not yet determined when the repairs would be completed.

The flyover was built in 2004. Earlier, the Malolos government called the DPWH’s attention to the fragility of the structure.

Angeles said the DPWH has also included the Calumpit bridge on its list of projects requiring major repairs in 2013. The bridge was closed down earlier for repairs and has not yet been reopened.