CRACKS IN SRP TUNNEL IS SAFE/OCT. 24, 2018: Cracks were seen in the walls of the South Road Property (SRP) tunnel are not structural and don’t pose threats to public.(CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
A photo of cracks on the ceiling of the tunnel at the Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR) circulating online became a cause of concern to many.
But the regional office of the Department of Public Works and Highways was quick to assure the public that the tunnel is safe.
DPWH Assistant Regional Director, Engr. Mario Montejo, told reporters in a press conference yesterday these were ‘hairline cracks’ of the structure’s design component and are normal for concrete infrastructure.
He said the cracks appeared exaggerated because they applied a kind of expoxy to protect the structure from being weathered and should not cause any alarm of panic.
“These cracks have already occurred in 2010. These are natural characteristics of anything made from cement. Due to our climate, they will expand when it’s hot and contract when it’s cold,” said Montejo.
“The application of the epoxy was made as part of our preventive maintenance,” he added.
The photos showing the hairline cracks also reached the attention of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña who reiterated the statement of DPWH – 7 that the tunnel is still safe for use.
In a post on his official Facebook page, Osmeña quoted a message the agency sent to his inbox, stating that a team was deployed to the area before they officially declared it was safe.
“Initially the tunnel was noted to have very, very fine cracks some years ago. These were assessed to be not serious, nevertheless, these were repaired/sealed during that time. These traces of repair oftentimes were mistakenly misinterpreted as cracks,” Osmeña said on Facebook quoting a message which he received from DPWH-7.
An anonymous netizen sent the viral photo through the Messenger accounts of several Facebook users who then posted it on their respective timelines.
Meanwhile, Montejo is appealing for Cebuanos to be circumspect in making social media posts so as not to cause alarm.
“Rest assured, the SRP tunnel is subject to an annual maintenance and check-up so there’s nothing to cause alarm,” said Montejo.
The construction of the almost a kilometer-long CSCR tunnel started in August 2008 and opened to the public on June 2010.