SRP bridge repairs to last 2 weeks to a month — DPWH
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said that ongoing repairs on gaps found in the viaduct of the Cebu South Coastal Road along the South Road Properties (SRP) may last between two weeks to a month.
However, motorists need not worry about the safety of the bridge which will remain open to traffic.
An inspection conducted by DPWH bridge engineers yesterday showed that eight out of ten expansion joints of the SRP viaduct needed repairs; but the situation was not as bad as it seemed, according to DPWH Cebu City District Engr. Nicomedes Leonor.
Leonor explained that only three of those joints needed immediate repair.
“It’s not really alarming. Even if there are gaps, it’s still connected to the concrete foundations. It’s just that the angular bars attached to the expansion joints as well as the rubber in it have been affected due to weathering and wear and tear,” he said.
Leonor also turned down an offer from the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) to close a portion of the road to pave the way for faster repairs, saying that this was not yet needed at the moment.
So as not to impede the flow of traffic along the SRP at daytime, DPWH is limiting work on the expansion joints at night starting at 9 p.m. onwards when there are fewer vehicles on the coastal highway.
DPWH personnel began to repair damaged portions of the viaduct at 5 p.m. last Sunday but had to end by 8 p.m. since the work was causing heavy traffic on a weekend especially along SM Seaside City.
“We started repairing last Sunday night. It lasted for three hours. We will continue repair works at night starting from 9 p.m. until early morning,” Leonor said.
Leonor expects the repairs to be completed within two weeks to a month depending on “external factors” such as the weather and traffic.
It was in the Facebook page of Cebu Flash Report where photos of gaps spotted in the viaduct were first shown by concerned persons asking if this was normal or a sign that the bridge was defective.
DPWH-7 planning division head Engr. Nonito Paylado explained that the more or less 140-millimeter gap in the expansion joints, as noted by their inspectors, was still within the allowable range.
Paylado met with DPWH bridge engineers in his office yesterday afternoon for updates on the status of the expansion joints.
“There is no significant progress in the gaps. There’s nothing alarming. It’s still passable,” Paylado said explaining that based on their latest inspection, the gap remained the same as last year.
The 7.2 magnitude earthquake, which hit Cebu in 2013, was seen by DPWH as a major cause of the wear and tear of the viaduct.
Since then, DPWH has been conducting regular inspections on the SRP bridge, Paylado said.
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