Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Vessel rammed Bridge 1, gave Cebu a lesson
MONDAY night’s accident, when a vessel rammed into a pier, was a first for the eight-year-old Marcelo Fernan Bridge.
The first bridge, however, has had two vessels ram its piers separately in 1984 and 1990.
In 1984, ms Bradevertte of the Everett Steamship Corp. hit the base of the first bridge’s pier 8, causing the corner of a pile cap to chip off. The facility’s rebars were also cut and burglarized in that same year.
A total of P3.3 million was spent to repair the damage in 1986.
Four years later, on Nov. 13, 1990, the Korean-registered mv Sanko Elegance, then moored at the pier of General Milling Corp., butted pier 7 at the height of typhoon Ruping, seriously damaging the superstructure of the only link then between mainland Cebu and Mactan Island.
Piers 7 and 8 are the two giant posts that sustain the bridge, first opened to the public on June 3, 1976.
Damages
Because of the damage, the bridge was closed to all kinds of vehicular and pedestrian traffic to pave way for the repairs. It was reopened only to light vehicular traffic on Jan. 15, 1991.
The incident prompted Sanko Elegance to pay P260 million to the government for damages. It also became a reason for the government to push for the link’s rehabilitation, estimated to cost P1.07 billion.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) then suggested closing the first bridge for four years to undertake the repairs, which would include strengthening the bridge’s foundation, for it to resist strong lateral stress.
A temporary restraining order, however, prevented the DPWH from undertaking the rehabilitation. (RCT)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (March 12, 2008 issue)
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