Work on the remaining 25 percent of the P30-million Philcoa footbridge project of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will go on “full blast” following a delay of six months.
Roseller Tolentino, head of the DPWH Quezon City Engineering District, said on Tuesday that private contractor Three W Builders would resume work on the project which was expected to be completed before Christmas.
Tolentino also disclosed that “sometime next month, the elevated walkway’s two elevators would be installed.” Each one can carry eight persons.
The elevators which cost P1.6 million each was for the use of persons with disabilities, the elderly and children.
According to the DPWH official, the agency is building a similar footbridge in Fairview, Quezon City. “Like the Philcoa footbridge, the one in Fairview costs P30 million. It also has the same design and an elevation of 16 feet,” he said.
Tolentino, meanwhile, cited the Inquirer for “coming out with the news report on the Philcoa footbridge.”
“Utility firms are finally responding to our calls to clear the footbridge of project-related hazards [like overhead cables],” he said, adding, “At long last, they’re acting on our requests.”
He was referring to companies like the Manila Electric Company, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. and Metropolitan Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System, among others.
Last week, Elmo San Diego, head of the Quezon City Department of Public Order and Safety, called for the removal of the cables, saying people could trip on them or be electrocuted.
San Diego also said the city government had conducted an assessment of the Philcoa footbridge and found the structure okay, except for the cables.
Tolentino, however, clarified that “the electrical wires referred to in the Inquirer report were not high-voltage cables. They are also not live wires.”
“Pedestrians are not going to get any electric shock should any of the wires get exposed,” he said.
As of Tuesday night some of the cables that pedestrians complained about were still on the footbridge, passing through between the steps of the stairs.