THE DEPARTMENT of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will rehabilitate two more bridges in the capital after completing ongoing work on Ayala Bridge in Manila, which is set for reopening on June 11.
Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson said up next for repairs are the Guadalupe Bridge on Edsa and Lambingan bridge in Sta. Ana, Manila. He gave no timetable but said the cost of repairs for both bridge would be around P4 billion.
Singson disclosed the plans on Tuesday when asked about the readiness of Metro Manila’s infrastructure in the event of a strong earthquake.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recently published a detailed map of the high-risk areas in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
Singson said the DPWH was already studying measures to mitigate the effects of the bridge repairs on traffic conditions, especially on Edsa.
“Obviously, you can’t close the entire Guadalupe bridge,” he said, adding that one approach would be to start work on the “outer portion” first.
“In Guadalupe, over time, there was a bridge added on the outer portion (of the original bridge). So we will have to work on the outer bridge first and then do the inner sections later,” he said.
Singson said the Japanese government had offered its expertise for the two projects.
Miguel R. Camus