BROKEN BEAMS Workers clear debris from a collapsed section of a flyover being built on Aguinaldo Highway in Imus City, Cavite province. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
The government will not file any case against the contractor of the flyover that collapsed on Aguinaldo Highway in Imus City, Cavite province.
The 700-meter flyover, a project of the Department of Public Works and Highways’ Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) regional office, is an extension of Daang Hari boulevard that will connect to the 45-kilometer Cavite-Laguna Expressway. The P265-million project was awarded to contractor, JBL Builders.
Final stages
But over the weekend, when the construction was on its final stages, a girder or concrete beam collapsed, taking down with it five other beams.
No vehicle or motorist was hit by the falling beams, but the contractor’s crane operator was hurt.
The local government shut down Aguinaldo Highway, a major thoroughfare in Cavite, until debris were cleared by Sunday afternoon.
On Tuesday, Samson Hebra, DPWH Calabarzon director, attributed the accident to “human error,” which left at least P12 million in damage.
Hebra said it did not cost the government anything as the flyover had not been turned over yet, but admitted the accident would delay the project’s completion.
The flyover’s target completion was set for December this year. But Hebra said it would take about a month to fabricate and reinstall each girder.
Project extension
“It’s their (the contractor’s) loss. The government has not paid anything for it yet,” he said.
Hebra said the contractor was covered by an all-risk insurance policy, but would most likely seek an extension to complete the project.
The DPWH said the flyover would improve connectivity between Cavite and Laguna as well as Metro Manila.
“Once completed, it will help solve traffic problems in Imus, Bacoor and Dasmariñas (cities in Cavite by providing) an
alternate route,” Hebra said. —Maricar Cinco