Will a temporary steel bridge be finished in Sibonga town in time for the Sinulog on Sunday? DPWH workers toil round the clock to meet their deadline. (Taken from Facebook page of the Cebu Provincial Government.)
Construction of a temporary steel bridge in barangay Dumlog, Sibonga town in southern Cebu may be delayed due to the presence of a low pressure area.
“We already have the materials and work force. The bridge will be passable only if the LPA doesn’t turn into a typhoon,” said Engr. Elvis Calunod, maintenance division chief of the regional Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
DPWH Regional Director Ador Canlas earlier assured that the bridge will be passable by January 17 or before the Sinulog parade.
But the state weather bureau Pagasa reported that Cebu and Central Visayas will experience rains and gusty winds next week. Pagasa Visayas director Oscar Tabada said the low pressure area will enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) tomorrow, January 12, with a chance of developing into a tropical cyclone.
Calunod said welding works is still ongoing in the site.
He said work will go on despite weather conditions, unless a storm does sweep through Cebu this week.
Canopies
In the meantime, Calunod said they have canopies already set up to provide protection for their personnel from the weather.
“If the storm doesn’t come, we will really get the bridge done as promised,” he said.
Otherwise, the construction will have to wait and so will commuters.
Steel decks were installed last Friday after parts from Cagayan de Oro City arrived a day late. The installation of the steel decks will take five days, but DPWH assured that its men will try to get it done faster.
At least 133 steel plates will be placed on the temporary bridge.
The steel bridge will be 59.076 meters long and will have a 35-meter approach on both ends.
The temporary link will have the same capacity as the original bridge, which is 20 tons.
The steel bridge will be elevated two meters above the level of the original structure, so that the DPWH can repair the damaged 18-meter approach.
Since the bridge connects Sibonga town to Argao, many commuters going to and from farther south had to go through difficult detours in the past week.
Sinulog contingents from beyond Argao will have to take the difficult routes should DPWH fail to complete the bridge on Jan. 16 or 17.
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