DPWH completes Quezon Bridge repairs

Mark Villar

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has completed repairs on Quezon Bridge after spending about P77.83 million on one of Manila’s oldest bridges.

The rehabilitation works of the bridge, which passes over Pasig River to connect Quiapo to Ermita, started in 2015 under the Aquino administration.

“We have enhanced its safety and efficiency for all motorists by replacing damaged structural steel components, including those affected by a fire in April 2014 and by performing sand blasting, installation of carbon fiber and application of epoxy on deck slab,” Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said.

Other improvements included asphalt overlay, plus the repair and painting of steel railings, lamp posts, pylons, parapet walls and sidewalks.

The 102.4-meter-long single-span steel bridge was built in 1939 on Quezon Boulevard Extension. It was identified in recent years as one of the public structures susceptible to damage in case of a major earthquake.

Other infrastructure works in the capital currently undergoing retrofitting are the Ayala Bridge, San Juan Bridge, MacArthur Bridge, Marcos Bridge, Magallanes Interchange and Osmeña flyover. —JULIE M. AURELIO