Historic Calumpit Bridge too worn-out to be preserved, says DPWH

CALUMPIT, Bulacan—History buffs have asked the government to preserve some of the steel trusses that make up the historic Calumpit Bridge, which is being replaced with a P166-million modern structure.

But the 125-meter-long old bridge is too worn-out, having suffered steel fatigue from decades of serving vehicular traffic, said Antonio Molano Jr., Central Luzon director of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

He said this was the reason the agency would be unable to heed the clamor of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) to preserve the bridge where Filipino soldiers first fought the American soldiers during the Philippine-American War.

Alex Balagtas, NHCP coordinator for the Bulacan and Zambales provinces, said his office had requested the DPWH to save the old bridge or any of its main components because of their historical value, having been the site of battles led by revolutionary heroes like Gen. Gregorio del Pilar.

Established in 1572, Calumpit is the oldest town in Bulacan.

Balagtas said the NHCP had pushed for the preservation of the old bridge, after the agency inspected the structure at the request of former Mayor James de Jesus.

But all the DPWH could do was auction sections of the bridge to antique dealers or junk shops, given their poor state, Molano said.

The bridge was closed to traffic in 2011, after portions of the structure collapsed. Its replacement bridge is under construction.

Ruel Angeles, chief of the DPWH first engineering office in Bulacan, said the bridge was last restored in 1946.

Gov. Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado, whose house in Barangay Gatbuca is right next to the old bridge, said the historic structure was one of the oldest bridges in the country.

The new Calumpit Bridge would be wider and would be completed in April next year. Carmela Reyes-Estrope, Inquirer Central Luzon