Bridge repairs finished by Saturday

REPAIRS on the expansion joints of the Marcelo Fernan bridge will be finished on Saturday, which is ahead of schedule by one   month and a half.

PLD Construction foreman Cesar Ricania credited the fast repairs to  good weather and the absence of any untoward incidents. on the bridge.

Focused attention was paid to the repair work to make sure the bridge is open in time for  the Aug. 5 Ironman, an international triathlon that will see  athletes riding bicycles  across the bridge.

“We worked for 24 hours, we stopped for several minutes due to some rains but overall it was trouble-free,” Ricania said.

Tomorrow, Ricania said they will proceed with cementing and asphalting after the new finger-type steel expansion joints are replaced.

But the viaduct’s right lane will remain closed until Saturday for the three-day cement curing stage.

The Ironman 70.3 Philippine Triathlon race will have a 90-kilometer bike course that will traverse the Marcelo Fernan Bridge.The bridge will be temporarily closed for the cyclists.

It will also have a 21-kilometer running course through the South Road Properties in Cebu City and a 1.9-kilometer swimming course along Punta Engano in Mactan Island. Correspondent Fe Marie D. Dumaboc