Bridges, flyovers for motorists, not squatters

Bridges and flyovers are for motorists and other transport-related purposes and should not be used as shelters.

This was stressed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as it called yesterday on local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila and the rest of the country to clear these structures of informal settlers.

In a statement, the DPWH also asked local officials to “ensure the protection of state infrastructure facilities.”

It pointed out that “LGUs, specifically barangays are in a position to call the attention of its residents, including informal settlers living under bridges and other public structures, as well as along esteros or waterways.”

Citing the recent fire that razed an undisclosed number of shanties under the decades-old Quezon Bridge in Manila, the DPWH said this “inflicted damage on the structural integrity of the single-span steel structure.”

As a result, the DPWH- National Capital Region (NCR) office was “preparing a program of work to facilitate the repair of the damaged bridge,” according to Elizabeth Pilorin, director of the  department’s Public Information Division and Stakeholders Relations Service.

Last week, DPWH-NCR Director Reynaldo Tagudando told the Inquirer that they would push for the bridge’s “total rehabilitation” once the reinforcement of its structure was completed.

This was being done through the construction of temporary shoring using steel H-piles (on floor beams), he said.

“More tests will be conducted after this activity to determine the full extent of the damage [done] by the April 10 fire on the bridge’s structural integrity,” Tagudando added.

In the meantime, Quezon Bridge which was built sometime in the 1940s will remain closed to heavy vehicles or those weighing more than 10 tons, he said.

In a related development, the DPWH Northern Mindanao office reported that the Marcos Bridge, the biggest and busiest bridge in Cagayan de Oro City, had been cleared of informal settlers.

“A total of 64 illegal settler families, along with their shanties and some business stalls, were removed recently,” said district engineer Anastacio Marundan.