Manila opens ‘eco-footbridge’

By: Nathaniel R. Melican - 10 years ago

Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and Vice Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso open what they called the country’s first eco-footbridge equipped with LED lights and CCTV cameras near Quiapo Church in Manila. NATHANIEL MELICAN

MANILA, Philippines–The Manila city government has opened what it touted as the country’s first “eco-footbridge,” referring to it as an energy-efficient public infrastructure product.

The overpass, built a stone’s throw away from Quiapo Church, provides an easier and safer way for people to cross Quezon Boulevard as the Lacson Underpass is still closed for renovation.

After the underpass was closed and before the footbridge was opened, people either had to walk to the Raon footbridge or to walk under the Quezon bridge—both notorious as an alleged haven for snatchers and thieves—to get to the other side of the road.

Both routes, while still within walking distance, are also quite far from the church itself.

“This footbridge was built so we could prevent people from getting involved in accidents. This is very strong and also very wide. We have CCTV (closed circuit television) cameras throughout the footbridge so that when there are crooks like snatchers around, we will see them immediately,” Mayor Joseph Estrada told reporters during the opening of the structure last week.

The security cameras, said to relay footage from the footbridge in high-definition video, is connected to the city government’s CCTV

network.

Aside from the cameras, security guards are also stationed throughout the structure, which Estrada said would serve to deter crooks.

He added that the city government did not shell out any money for the project as it was a donation to the local government through a joint venture with EcoBridges Ads Inc.

The footbridge, which has a five-foot-wide walkway, was designed by Architect Felino “Jun” Palafox Jr. and is made of concrete and metal. It has a metal roof so pedestrians are shielded from the elements. The company claims that the footbridge can withstand winds of up to 270-kilometers per hour.

Vines are planted along the length of the footbridge so that it will be wrapped in green once the plants grow. The footbridge also has energy-efficient LED lamps to provide light to pedestrians.

EcoBridges spokesman Aquino Ambray said the company would oversee the upkeep of the footbridge, the maintenance of the lights and CCTV cameras and the salary of the security guards posted on the footbridge.

The money will come from companies that display their ads on the billboards on the footbridge, Ambray added.–With Djan Arell G. Magbanua