Iloilo’s controversial flyover reopens

SPEED LIMIT Vehicles, except for dump trucks, transit mixer, wing vans, trailer trucks, motorcycle, tricycle and bicycles, are allowed to pass through the Ungka flyover, which connects Iloilo City to Pavia town, when it reopened on Monday after two years of corrective work to ensure it remains safe to commuters. A speed limit of 40 kilometers per hour is also imposed on all vehicles traversing the flyover. —Ian Paul Cordero

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — A Christmas gift.

This was how the Department of Public Works and Highways in Western Visayas (DPWH-6) described the full reopening on Monday of the Ungka flyover that connects Barangay Ungka in Iloilo City and Pavia town, Iloilo.

“We will not be closing the flyover anymore. It’s going to be open 24/7,” said DPWH assistant regional director Jose Al Fruto, assuring that with all four lanes now open, “we can say that it’s safe.”

READ: DPWH hopes to fully reopen Iloilo’s ‘sinking’ flyover by Christmas

Fruto said the DPWH was grateful to the public for understanding the need to close the flyover to make it structurally sound.

The P680-million infrastructure project, which was intended to ease traffic and cut travel time from this city to the Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan town, has faced complaints from local officials and the public.

In June 2022, the 453.7-meter flyover was opened to the public but was closed in September of the same year after public complaints over the “wavy feel” while driving over it as well as reports and images of flooding at the top of the flyover during rainy days.

Limited access

While it was reopened on Monday, some of the railings in the upper part of the flyover were not yet finished, and only a temporary barricade was installed.

However, only select vehicles can use the structure with a speed limit of 40 kilometers per hour. Among the vehicle types not allowed are dump trucks, transit mixers, wing vans, trailer trucks, motorcycles, tricycles, and bikes.

Iloilo City traffic chief Uldarico Grabanzos said the traffic situation in the Ungka flyover has been normal since its reopening.

Rowel Tipawan, vice chair of the Western Visayas Transport Cooperative, said the reopening of the Ungka flyover is a boost to their livelihood.

He said public utility vehicle drivers like him could now ply their routes on at least seven roundtrips, compared to the previous five roundtrips.

The DPWH has spent some P300 million to rectify the bridge in two phases, including the P13.48 million spent in 2023 for a third-party consultant to investigate the concerns.