THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 7 hope to get today the rest of the materials for the steel bridge that will temporarily connect Dumlog, Sibonga to Argao and the rest of southeastern Cebu.
Engineer Elvis Calunod, chief of the DPWH 7 maintenance division, said the transom and the rest of the heavy equipment needed to construct the steel bridge did not arrive yesterday.
Only the dump trucks arrived from Cagayan de Oro City as the first shipping company that DPWH contacted did not allow the rest of the equipment and materials to be loaded on its ship as arranged.
Calunod said that if the materials and the rest of the equipment would not arrive today, the temporary steel bridge in Dumlog would only have one lane to accommodate the expected traffic related to the Sinulog festival.
Transoms are steel beams that are placed under the steel bridge structure to provide support.
Lane or lanes
Calunod said the DPWH was able to arrange with another shipping firm to send over the transom and the rest of the equipment last night so that they will arrive this morning.
If everything goes as planned, the DPWH would be able to install the rest of the materials for the steel bridge at noon today.
The approach of the Dumlog Bridge between Sibonga and Argao collapsed due to the flash flood caused by tropical storm Seniang.
Calunod said they plan to take legal action against the first shipping company. He said the DPWH had the required documents but the shipping company still refused to ferry all the materials and equipment.
He said the vessel has a capacity of 200 metric tons while the heavy equipment and other materials weighed a total of 40 to 50 tons.
Deadline
“We are trying to beat the deadline,” he said. “We are not sure if the vessel was overloaded. But they allowed other vehicles to get on board the vessel.”
Provincial Information Officer Ethel Natera said the DPWH has already started to work on the steel bridge.
Earlier, DPWH 7 Director Ador Canlas assured Gov. Hilario Davide III that the temporary steel bridge in Dumlog would be passable by Jan. 16.
It will have the same capacity of the original bridge which is 20 tons. The temporary bridge will be 50 meters long and will have a 35-meter approach on both ends.
Canlas said that it will take three to four months to rehabilitate the old bridge.
Meanwhile, Capitol through the Provincial Engineering Office has started to rehabilitate the provincial roads in the municipalities of Barili and Alcantara.
Road repair in Alcantara started on Wednesday after heavy equipment and eight culverts were delivered to the town last Jan. 6.
Davide, after an inspection in Barangay Dakit-Nasipit-Bolocboloc road in Barili, ordered for the construction of a diversion road since the area was no longer safe for vehicles to pass.