Finish Central Luzon projects or face ban, contractor told

WARNINGThe Department of Public Works and Highways has directed the contractor of this bridge in Nueva Ecija to speed up work or face a ban on government projects. —ARMAND GALANG

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — A construction company is facing blacklisting from future government projects should it fail to complete within its revised work schedules eight of 10 bridge projects it bagged in Central Luzon, according to a Department of Public Works and Highways official (DPWH).

Tokwing Construction Corp. was given until February 2019 to complete the P125.271-million replacement of Sibut Bridge in San Jose City in Nueva Ecija province.

The old Sibut Bridge began to sag following weeks of rain but was still being used by motorists because its replacement had not been finished in time this year. The new bridge was 42.15 percent done, said the DPWH.

DPWH Undersecretary Emil Sadain said he had warned Tokwing of the possibility it would be blacklisted should it fail to fulfill its contracts.

New deadlines

The new deadlines for its contracts to raise the Carael Bridge (P62.316 million) in Zambales province and Sabang Bridge (P168.560 million) in Aurora province are also in February next year.

Only around 20 percent of these projects have been completed, the DPWH said.

Sadain said the owner of Tokwing had “committed to finish these projects on time.” Tokwing did not respond when asked about the new work schedules.

For the new Sibut Bridge, Tokwing was advised to work in two shifts to make up for lost time it incurred due to contract adjustments.

The new bridge would get an additional P100 million from the DPWH budget for 2019, after Tokwing doubled the board pile depth to 40 meters, extended the length of the structure from 200 meters to 240 meters and added piers for a total of seven, Sadain said.

He said the old Sibut Bridge, built by the local government in the 1970s and rebuilt in the 1990s, would be outfitted with a 90-meter long, two-lane modular steel bridge so motorists could skip the sagging portions.

By the end of August, Tokwing should be done with five other bridge projects — the Pasac-Culcul 1 and 2 Bridges (P44.083 million and P32.157 million, respectively), in Pampanga province, the Salvacion Bridge (P10.406 million) in Nueva Ecija, the Samal Bridge (P18.6 million) in Bataan province and the Langawan Bridge (P53.717 million) in Aurora.

Completion

All started in October 2015, the projects’ original completion dates were set in June or July this year.

Sadain said the Labi II Bridge (P40.126 million) in Nueva Ecija was completed by the DPWH Central Luzon office.

The Candaba government had opposed the demolition of the old San Miguel 1 Bridge in the town that Tokwing was contracted to replace with a P78.543-million bridge.

The old bridge was still stable and structurally sound, according to engineers.