A MONTH after the old Clarin Bridge collapsed last April 27, 2022, killing four people, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is looking to open a new bridge in Loay, Bohol to two-way traffic in less than two weeks.
In a statement Wednesday, May 25, 2022, the DPWH said the target was to complete the paving of access ramps for the new Clarin Bridge by June 7, 2022.
The estimate comes following Undersecretary and Build Build Build Chief Implementer Emil Sadain’s visit to the construction site along Tagbilaran East Road on Wednesday.
Sadain is in charge of the DPWH’s Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations.
The new bridge in Barangay Poblacion Ubos, Loay crossing Loboc River spans 104 meters and costs P462 million.
Following the collapse of the parallel old Clarin Bridge last month, the UPMO with help from the DPWH office in Central Visayas and the district engineering offices in Bohol, had worked to immediately open the new Clarin Bridge to light vehicles using a one-lane traffic scheme that involved the use of flagmen and traffic aides.
In the first week of May, the new bridge was already passable to light vehicles including motorcycles, cars, vans and utility vehicles.
The Clarin Bridge Replacement Project is part of the Bohol Circumferential Road Contract Package 3 under the DPWH Road Upgrading and Preservation Projects funded by a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
The new Clarin Bridge is expected to boost the tourism industry of Bohol, which counts the Loboc River as a major tourism destination, along with the nearby Billar manmade forest and conservation areas for tarsiers and butterflies.
The integrity of the 1970s-era old bridge had been affected by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Bohol on October 15, 2013.
The collapse of the bridge last month caused several vehicles to fall into the river below, killing four people and requiring the rescue of 24 others.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said around 12 utility vehicles and a delivery truck loaded with gravel and sand were traversing the bridge when the bridge collapsed.
“This caused serious tension and the collapse of the bridge,” it said.