Pangasinan bridge to be closed to traffic

Sunday, January 29, 2012

CALASIAO -- The 50-year-old Villamil bridge in this town will be permanently closed to motor vehicle traffic effective Monday noon.

The closure of the bridge was announced last week by project engineer Sofronio delos Santos and health and safety engineer Marino Estrella of the Foundation Specialist Inc., contractor of the new bridge.

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The bridge will not reopen until a new replacement bridge is in place. However, the bridge will remain open to pedestrian traffic until the contractor advises its total closure.

Third district Representative Rachel Arenas said the 100-meter replacement bridge is P89,221,394.64 and its construction is assisted by the Spanish government. The bridge project is situated in Marusay River along Mancup-Poblacion road.

The replacement bridge is a two-lane, 7.30-meter wide Centunion Modular Steel Girder Bridge composed of four steel girders at 25-meter spans supported by two concrete abutments and three piers, all supported by bored piles.

As the construction work will take about a year, Arenas asked for the patience of the public. "Anyhow, it will be for the long term benefit of the people," she said.

Due to the closure of the Villamil bridge, light vehicles from Dagupan City going to San Carlos City or Malasiqui-Bayambang are advised to take the Banaoang-San Vicente Road-Dinalaoan-Ambuetel-Nagsaing-Malabago detour route and vice versa.

For heavy vehicles, those going to San Carlos City from Dagupan City or Lingayen are to pass through Manat road in Binmaley. Heavy vehicles going to Malasiqui-Bayambang towns are to take the Sta. Barbara-Marunong road and vice versa. (Liway C. Manantan-Yparraguirre/Sunnex)