AFTER months of heavy traffic caused by repairs, the Mananga Bridge 2 will be opened on Aug. 4, 2019, in time for the Regent Aguila Ironman 70.3 Philippines on Aug. 11.
Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony Jr. announced the schedule of the opening in a statement, saying it would hopefully address the traffic situation in the area.
Boy Sayson, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 7’s chief of construction division, said the rehabilitation and construction of Mananga Bridge 2 was started by Zion Construction in 2017 and was scheduled to be completed by early 2019.
However, the completion has been delayed due to the contractor’s issues with informal settlers who reside under the bridge.
“How can you work speedily when there are people living under the bridge?” the official said.
The informal settlers under Mananga Bridge 2 reportedly just moved a little farther down under Mananga Bridge 1.
Most of the houses under the two bridges are made of concrete materials, which the settlers refused to vacate.
Sayson said the last concrete pouring by the contractor will be on July 28 but the opening will not be until Aug. 4 to allow some time for the curing of the concrete.
He said that even though Mananga Bridge 2 is closed, the Mananga Bridge 1 is still open to traffic.
In a press statement, Gullas lamented that a lot of motorists and commuters blamed the City Government for failing to act on the traffic situation there.
The situation prompted the mayor to meet with officials of the DPWH Second Engineering District on Friday, July 5, to discuss what they could do to speed up the bridge’s rehabilitation.
“During our meeting, DPWH officials assured me that they will end their work at the Mananga Bridge by conducting concrete pouring on July 28. They assured me that the Mananga Bridge will be passable to motorists by Aug. 4. I will not accept any more delays,” Gullas said.
“Further delays on the bridge’s rehabilation will not only affect the traffic situation in the city, but will also affect how we manage traffic especially during large-scale activities, such as the Regent Aguila Ironman 70.3 Philippines in August, in which Talisay City is part of the bike route,” he said.
Gullas said he already asked the traffic office to deploy traffic enforcers to the bridge to help manage the gridlock there. (EOB with PR)