Saturday, August 16, 2008 28 days still needed 'for curing'
CONSTRUCTION of the Banilad flyover is “on schedule” for the Sept. 5 target completion but 28 days will be needed for the “curing period” before vehicles get to use the facility.
Rep. Raul del Mar (Cebu City, north) yesterday made his “final ocular inspection” of the project with Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Cebu City District Engineer Nicomedes Leonor.
He spoke with WTG Construction and Development Corp. supervising engineer Christopher Semilla, who said that depending on the land acquisition, they will need at least a month after the flyover is opened to vehicular traffic to finish side roads.
Del Mar said WTG could not work on side roads as they are currently used by vehicles.
Once the flyover is ready, he said, WTG will next construct the side roads to provide two lanes for each traffic direction.
“I guess there will no longer be doubts that this will end by the first week of September. They (people) will agree now that the flyover (can be) used by the end (of September),” the congressman said.
Del Mar emphasized that the contract completion date is by end of November yet, so that even after the curing period to allow the cement to achieve its maximum strength, the project will still be two months ahead of schedule.
He had said that WTG hardly profited from the project by offering a bid of just P89.6 million.
Semilla said that WTG was also hit by the doubling of the prices of metal bars, but they were committed to finish the project as soon as possible and did not allow the “abnormal price escalation” to delay the construction.
Construction is non-stop, with WTG imposing a 24-hour work schedule to meet the self-imposed deadline.
The 390-meter flyover, including the two approaches, was contracted to be finished by November yet, or within 300 calendar days since it started on Feb. 1.
But the structure, particularly its girders, is already in place, and WTG was almost finished laying down the pre-fabricated bottom concrete slabs for the flooring when del Mar visited yesterday afternoon.
Semilla said top concrete slabs will be added before the finishing.
The girders, slabs and even railings for the flyover are all pre-cast so that though WTG still has to install the railings and set up the 14 lampposts, Sept. 5 as end of construction can be met, del Mar said.
“After the flyover, the contractor will work on the side roads. So there will still be inconvenience, which will be removed once the side roads are completed,” he said.
Project completion was first projected to be finished on July 25, but the delay in the acquisition of adjacent lots for the road expansion required the schedule to be changed.
With the flyover, it is hoped that the worsening traffic at the Banilad-Talamban area would ease, which critics say would not happen because the Gov. Manuel Cuenco Ave.-J. Panis St. junction is still constricted.
The Mahiga Bridge still need to be expanded, which del Mar said will be done next. (RHM)
