By Ferdinand Patinio | Philippine News Agency
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Tuesday said the repair on the asphalt overlay of the Panguil Bay Bridge in Mindanao has been completed.
“Just sharing the (information)… repair on asphalt overlay damaged by overloaded vehicles completely done yesterday (Monday, Dec. 2) 5:00 p.m.,” DPWH Senior Undersecretary Emil Sadain said in a message to the Philippine News Agency.
Sadain said the repaired portion of the bridge was opened to motorists Monday evening.
“The bridge opened to normalize traffic at 9:00 p.m. last night,” Sadain said.
The emergency repair works on the Tangub City – Tubod lane began on Dec. 1, covering the defective asphalt pavement in some sections of the 3.17-kilometer bridge, which is the longest bridge in the region.
Earlier, the DPWH said the damaged asphalt pavements did not affect the structural integrity of the bridge.
According to an in-depth assessment of DPWH and the project consultant, Yooshin-Pyunghwa-Kyongho JV, the defects were caused by overloading trucks exceeding the 30-ton design capacity of the bridge.
To ensure long-term quality, the DPWH has also directed the contractor to prepare and submit a comprehensive repair plan. This plan includes a revised asphalt mix design and waterproofing measures to support the full end-to-end upgrading of the asphalt pavement.
The bridge, which connects Tangub City in Misamis Occidental and the town of Tubod in Lanao del Norte, was opened on Sept. 27.