AFTER over a year of delays and mounting safety concerns, the Cebu City Government is set to resume construction of the Pulangbato Bridge next week, according to local officials.
Barangay Captain John Barry Miñoza of Pulangbato confirmed in a phone interview on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, that Mayor Nestor Archival announced the project’s revival during the city’s 3rd Quarter Assembly of the Liga ng mga Barangay, held Aug. 5 at a hotel.
The bridge, a vital link between the mountain barangays of Sirao, Guba and Agsungot and the downtown area, has remained unfinished since construction began in 2023.
The delays prompted the barangay council to declare a state of emergency in October 2024, citing public safety concerns. The City Council later used the declaration to cancel the original contract.
The project was initially awarded to SBD Builders with a budget of P24 million. The City Council has since approved an additional P28 million to complete the work.
While Archival has pledged to open the bridge by December, the identity of the new contractor has not been made public.
In the meantime, residents have relied on a makeshift road along the riverbed, which becomes impassable during heavy rains. Accidents have been reported, particularly involving motorcycles.
“Many riders have fallen,” Miñoza said in Cebuano. “Some suffered injuries and had to go to Guba Hospital for treatment.”
The bridge is intended to replace an older steel structure destroyed by typhoon Odette (Rai) in December 2021.
City traffic enforcers will continue to manage the temporary road, particularly on weekends, when the area receives a high volume of visitors.
At the barangay assembly, Archival also outlined other infrastructure and sustainability plans, including continued road asphalting projects and initiatives to convert government facilities and streetlights to solar power. He called on the city’s barangays to work closely with his administration.
Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña also attended the assembly, where he introduced his “Mayor of the Night” initiative, which is aimed at assisting night-shift workers with 24/7 government services and free transportation.
Councilor Paul Labra II, chairman of the city’s committee on peace and order, presented Oplan Pakigsandurot, a community policing program intended to reduce crime through coordination between barangays and public agencies. / EHP