Repair of Roxas Boulevard ‘road hole’ to start soon

“Soon. We are still finalizing the plan for rebuilding. That was a box-culvert. Unfortunately, that’s why we are becoming strict with overloading because trucks are really heavy. So now, we’re creating a plan to rebuild it to a higher standard,” DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said in an interview Monday. (File Photo: Mark Villar/Facebook)

MANILA — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is set to begin soon the repair of the damaged road at the corner of Roxas Boulevard and Remedios Street in Manila.

“Soon. We are still finalizing the plan for rebuilding. That was a box-culvert. Unfortunately, that’s why we are becoming strict with overloading because trucks are really heavy. So now, we’re creating a plan to rebuild it to a higher standard,” DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said in an interview Monday.

Villar noted that they will enforce the rules strictly so as not to repeat such incident.

“Well, bawal talaga dumaan. Hindi talaga dapat dumaan dun e dahil mabigat ‘yung truck. So we have to enforce these rules para hindi mangyari yan (they are really not allowed to enter. Trucks are not allowed to enter because they are heavy. So we have to enforce these rules,” he added.

Earlier, Villar ordered the conduct of a formal investigation on the collapse of the box culvert after a 14-wheeler truck loaded with tons of sand fell into a five-foot deep hole at the said portion of Roxas Boulevard in Manila.

The truck weighed about 42 tons that entered the secondary road, which could only accommodate 20 tons.

On the other hand, DPWH National Capital Region Director Ador Canlas said he expects to finish the repair of the damaged box-culvert in over a month.

He noted that they are looking to have the design within a week or two.

“Probably 1-2 weeks design (plans and the design) and then we will ask the central office to immediately release the funds so we could do that much earlier…more than a month,” the DPWH official said in a separate interview.