THE Davao City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) said that it is considering temporarily closing Bolton Bridge for 10 days for repairs.
Lawyer Edward Perez, officer-in-charge of CTTMO, said that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and its contractor sent a letter to CTTMO saying that there is a need to close the south-bound lane of the Bolton Bridge for structural integrity works.
In a text message, Perez revealed that the closure would be from 10 p.m. on July 18 until July 28, 2025. The southbound lane of the Bolton bridge will be closed while the northbound portion will be open for two-way traffic.
However, he clarified that this is still subject for approval at the 21st City Council.
Perez said that to prevent traffic congestion, particularly in the Sandawa intersection, heavy trucks coming from the north would be prohibited from passing through Bridge 2.
The heavy vehicles would be rerouted to Quirino Avenue and other alternate routes.
He also said that they would be deploying personnel to manage the movement of vehicles and that their office would be installing signage and public advisories to ensure that the motorists and the public will be guided accordingly.
Earlier, Perez said the dates for the closure, as well as which portion of the bridge, were not yet finalized since they were still conducting meetings for the measures that would be taken, especially since it would involve one of the main bridges in Davao City.
On April 4, the Bolton Bridge 1 was temporarily closed for repairs and rehabilitation. The closure was implemented from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily, with the bridge reopening for traffic from 5:01 a.m. to 9:59 p.m.
Perez said that they can no longer implement a temporary closure, such as that done in April, since they need to work on the structural integrity of the bridge after it was affected by a fire and an earthquake. He said that there is a need to implement a full road closure, since they want the cement for the bridge to assuredly dry before vehicles use it.
“Basically, it is a concern of public safety so they are requesting nga close siya for ten days,” Perez said during the ISpeak media forum, on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at the City Mayor’s Office (CMO).
He, however, assured that the Traffic Engineering and Enforcement divisions will have mitigating measures such as traffic advisories and rerouting of public utility jeepney (PUJ) routes during peak hours.
Perez said that their office is coordinating with the City Transport and Traffic Management Board (CTTMB) for the information dissemination three days before the closure.
He hopes that DPWH and its contractors will be able to finish the renovation of the bridge to lessen the impact on the traffic flow in the city. RGP