TACLOBAN CITY — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has already invested PHP2 billion to upgrade 102 bridges in Southern Leyte over the past three years, complementing the massive road widening projects in the countryside.
In a report issued Thursday, the DPWH Southern Leyte field office said that of the 102 rehabilitated bridges, 37 were completed in 2015 with a budget of PHP408 million, 47 were implemented in 2016 with PHP1.45 billion outlay, and 18 were strengthened in 2017 with PHP141 million funding.
“Most of these bridges have been existing since 1970s. For the public, these bridges are not defective, but from the technical point of view, these structures badly need replacement to ensure its structural integrity,” said DPWH Southern Leyte office chief Ma. Margarita Junia in a mobile phone interview.
The rehabilitation activities included carbon fiber application, stone masonry, and water proofing. These are intended to strengthen each structure weakened by decades of daily heavy trucks passage and abnormal weather.
In 2018, the bridge strengthening project will continue with PHP59-million funding covering four bridges along national highways, according to Junia.
The DPWH pushed for the rehabilitation of bridges after it was found in the 2014 Bridge Management System (BMS) that several bridges were identified as bad and some were categorized as poor.
Priority bridges for repair were determined through BMS data annually collected based on the bridge inventory and condition surveys done by DPWH-accredited bridge inspectors.
The system analyzes and generates a list of priority bridges that require major maintenance and replacement which can be funded locally or foreign-assisted bridge programs in the annual General Appropriations Act.
DPWH Southern Leyte is tasked to maintain 153 bridges, the most number among 13 district offices in the region. Of the total number of bridges, 139 are concrete, and 14 are steel. (Sarwell Meniano/PNA)
