VEHICLES weighing more than 20 tons are temporarily prohibited from crossing the Bolton Bridge in Davao City after a portion of the structure was damaged following the magnitude 6.5 earthquake that struck Thursday, October 31.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio made the announcement during her site inspection on the partially collapsed Ecoland 4000 Residences in Ecoland, Matina, Davao City.
Duterte-Carpio said officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the City Engineer's Office (CEO) immediately conducted the site inspection of two major bridges in the city: Bolton and Governor Generoso.
She said the CEO and DPWH recommended to limit the passage of the Bolton Bridge to light vehicles after the diaphragm wall below the downstream side of the bridge had manifested some cracks due to the tremor.
"Ang atoang Bolton Bridge is limited only to 20 tons. Beyond 20 tons, dili na ka-kaya ang bridge because duna siyay damage sa iyahang diaphragm wall below sa bridge naa sa downstream side (The Bolton Bridge is only limited to 20 tons, it can no longer carry more than the allowed weight because its diaphragm wall below the bridge is damaged," Duterte-Carpio said.
DPWH-Davao City district engineering office acting public information officer John Frances Fuentes said they are still checking on the severity of the damage.
"But so far, kung tan-awon nato ang cracks niya, di pa man siya hadlok kaayo. So safe pa kaayo siya for light vehicles. Pero kung agian ni siyag mga dagkong trucks, basin musamot siya since we are also expecting pa aftershocks (But so far, the cracks that were seen on the bridge is not really something for us to cause panic. So it's safe for light vehicles to pass. But the cracks might worsen if we would allow heavy trucks to pass. It might worsen since we are also expecting aftershocks)," Fuentes said in a photo interview.
He said, prior to the earthquake Thursday, October 31, the bridge had already experienced minor cracks brought by the magnitude 6.5 earthquake that struck on Tuesday, October 29.
Portions of the bridge, specifically in the asphalt layers, also experienced cracks, but he said it cannot cause damage on the bridge's structural integrity.
As to the timeframe for its rehabilitation, he said the DPWH is finalizing its plans, but he said the agency is already taking preventive measures for the bridge.
Fuentes, meanwhile, advised motorists to take alternative routes such as the Generoso and the Ma-a Bridge for the meantime to avoid traffic congestion.
He said the rehabilitation of the bridge is within their pipeline.
The official said motorists should not panic because the bridge is being monitored from time-to-time, considering the bridge is considered old.
"For the motorists, they need not to worry of the safety of the structure since our team of engineers had already check the integration of the bridge. We can assure that the bridge is safe," he said.