Completion of temporary bridge in Pangasinan town eyed in 2 weeks

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the DPWH Regional Office 1 (Ilocos) reported that the construction of the temporary link started on Tuesday. (Photo courtesy of DPWH Ilocos Region)

MANILA – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is looking to finish in two weeks the temporary bridge in Bayambang, Pangasinan as an alternative route following last week’s collapse of the Carlos P. Romulo Bridge due to overloading.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the DPWH Regional Office 1 (Ilocos) reported that the construction of the temporary link started on Tuesday.

It added that the maintenance crew has installed warning signs and barricades at strategic locations to inform the public about the ongoing works.

The temporary bridge is only open for vehicles up to five tons.

The DPWH has provided alternate routes for motorists: For all types of vehicles – take Bayambang-San Carlos (Carmen Junction-Manat Road) -Aguilar Road via Bocboc Bridge-Mangatarem and vice versa and Carmen Junction-Manat Road (Bayambang-Bautista-Alcala-Sto. Tomas-Carmen, Rosales)/Manila North Road and vice versa.

Light vehicles may take Bayambang-Bautista-Moncada-Camiling Road and vice-versa; M.H.Del Pilar, Bayambang-Urbiztondo-Mangatarem-Camiling Road and vice-versa and Take Bayambang-San Carlos-Urbiztondo-Mangatarem and vice-versa.

On Oct. 21, two trucks were passing through the bridge when a portion of it collapsed. Four persons were injured in the incident.

The bridge was built in 1945 and has an allowable load limit of 20 tons. The two trucks that plied the bridge reportedly weighed around 69 tons.

Meanwhile, DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan reiterated the inclusion of necessary safety features in all of its infrastructure projects nationwide.

In a memorandum, he echoed Department Order No. 164, series of 2016 which mandates DPWH Regional, District Engineering Offices, and Unified Project Management Office Clusters to include all safety design features or elements in all projects.

Bonoan noted that safety design features must always be included in all national roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects implemented by DPWH rather than treated as a separate project with different funding later on.

“Every road project needs to meet the criteria of the International Roughness Index (IRI), and have necessary drainage facilities, shoulders, or slope protection works among others. These features will be included in our projects as early as their planning stages to guarantee our projects are safe for public use,” he said in a statement.

Under DO No. 164, implementing offices are required to ensure that any findings in a road safety audit, carried out before or during design, are addressed as part of the road or bridge project itself, and not treated as separate projects later with different funding.

Implementing offices are also mandated to properly plan and work with the DPWH Planning Service to ensure sufficient road safety funds are included as part of the proposed projects during the annual budget preparation, as well as propose appropriate safety interventions or feature in the Program of Works and Detailed Engineering Design of the proposed project.