Jegma exec: We can work 24/7

Workers start rehabilitation of the Mandaue-Mactan bridge as vehicles crawl past them. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

An executive of Jegma Construction and Development Corp. (JCDC) said they have the capability to undertake a project for 24 hours every day of the week.

The executive, who declined to be identified because she was not authorized to speak for the company, said Jegma has built two fast-food outlets in Manila and Cebu on three eight-hour shifts in one day.

“That (24/7) isn’t new to us. But it’s hard to compare fast-food chains to the bridge since the latter has a bigger scope,” the source said in reaction to a call by the Mactan Cebu Bridge Management Board for 24/7 repair work on the first Mandaue-Mactan Bridge.

Jegma won the contract to undertake the P129-million bridge repairs, its biggest project so far.

The executive said their being a small company, with a workforce of only 150, is an advantage because “there is less hassle in 24/7 operations with smaller structures.”

Bridge repairs have been stalled because of the presence of utility cables attached to the undersides of  the bridge.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) plans to go full steam ahead on the bridge repairs in March. If work is undertaken 24/7, the project should be completed by August this year.

Joselito Sayson, DPWH-7 construction division chief, said DPWH personnel, who will supervise the project, will also work in three shifts.

“This will even make work easier for them because they will finish earlier,” said Sayson.

It wouldn’t be the first time a contractor in Cebu will undertake a project 24/7 until completion.

Sayson said they usually order their contractors to work nonstop when the projects are already “super delayed.”

“We tell them to add manpower and have shifting so they can catch up with the schedule,” he said. No additional payment is made for 24/7 operations because the calendar days set by DPWH will only be compressed, he added.

Nonato Paylado, planning division chief of DPWH-7, said project duration would be reduced to 168 days or less if work is undertaken 24/7 from 320 days with one eight-hour shift.

The bridge repair project was originally scheduled for implementation in August last year, but had to be postponed because of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meetings.

The project started on Feb. 8, but the contractor had to limit repair works to the sidewalks while DPWH looked for ways to ensure that the water pipeline and utility cables attached to the bridge won’t be damaged.

“Right now, we are still coordinating with the public utilities regarding the lines running underneath the bridge,” Paylado said in a phone interview.

Jegma has also been tapped to rehabilitate the corroded pipe supports  of the Metropolitan Cebu Water District’s (MCWD) water transmission line, which could collapse once work resumes on the bridge’s deck slabs.

MCWD spokesperson Charmaine Kara, in a separate interview, said they have already submitted their final design and plan to Jegma and were waiting for their cost estimates.

She said DPWH still needs to evaluate the plan to ensure that this conforms to the agency’s standards.

The city mayors of Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue have agreed to the 24/7 work proposal on the condition that it would not worsen the traffic situation in the vicinity.

Jegma has assigned three on-site engineers and 30 workers to the bridge repair project. The company currently employs 135 on-site workers, 10 engineers and 15 office staff.