Holes can be seen on the steel bridge in Barangay Pulangbato, Cebu City. | Photo courtesy of the CDRRMO
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The repair works for the Pulangbato bridge in Cebu City is now up for bidding.
Councilor Jerry Guardo, the committee chairperson for infrastructure said the Pulangbato bridge has been one of the badly damaged infrastructures in the city due to Typhoon Odette in December 2021.
It was further damaged by Tropical Depression Agaton in April 2022, and now passage on the bridge is limited.
“Nakaschedule naman to for bidding pero naabtan og election ban. Pero now. nagconvene naman og balik ang Council, makabidding natag balik,” said Guardo.
The project has been allotted P24 million for the repair works and construction of a sturdier bridge, which should withstand any natural threats that may come in the future.
The councilor added that there is a necessity to rebuild the bridge so that heavier vehicles can pass through.
Aside from Pulangbato, the city will be retrofitting other bridges in the mountain barangays to accommodate more and heavier vehicles.
“Nakabantay na ta nga ang mga developers, nagsige na silag develop sa atong mountain barangays. So we need to retrofit the bridges to accomodate these changes,” he said.
As the progress moves upland, the councilor said the city has to be ready to provide the infrastructure needed by the future residents, workers, or developers of the various mountain barangays.
Bridges must be able to carry the weight of more daily traffic and heavy equipment that come with development such as construction equipment and large dump trucks.
The councilor added that maintaining the bridge’s quality also ensures the safety of motorists and pedestrians using the structure. /rcg
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