Davao Bankerohan bridge post collapses; traffic in a bind

Traffic in major parts of Davao City was snarled Thursday and may remain slow the next few months, after one of the posts of the city’s old Bankerohan Bridge collapsed early Thursday. Sun-Star Davao (www.sunstar.com.ph) reported Friday that this prompted the city government to mull building a new bridge that will cost some P300 million. It said the bridge was immediately closed to traffic, even as an inspection team from the Department of Public Works and Highways found the bridge to be in a “very dangerous" state. With the closure of the bridge, traffic was snarled along McArthur Highway in Matina and Quirino Avenues in the downtown area and at Quimpo Boulevard, near Sandawa and Bolton Bridge. Several motorists were forced to take alternate routes from the south to take the Diversion Road. Traffic Management Center Chief Celso Gempesaw ordered the deployment of more personnel to augment those in the area to ease the traffic situation. The traffic group also employed a detour plan. DPWH assistant regional director for construction Reynaldo Tamayo said the collapse could have been triggered by an earthquake last Holy Week. Tamayo said they received reports about the collapse of the bridge’s pier at around 6 a.m. Thursday. An inspection team sent to the site found the bridge in a “dangerous state." He said he ordered the closure of the bridge, which was built in 1947, and the demolition of the collapsed pier to prevent the possible collapse of the five remaining posts. Tamayo said they proposed the demolition of the whole bridge and construction of a new one. He added that the budget proposal for the project is pegged at P300 million. “It will take about one year or more for us to construct the new bridge, depending on the availability of funds," Tamayo said. Bankerohan Bridge (Governor Generoso Bridge 1), which traverses the Davao River, is one of the main arteries in the flow of mobility in the city. Mayor Rodrigo Duterte assured residents that a new bridge will be built immediately, saying the bridge’s closure will adversely affect the flow of traffic and mobility. For his part, DPWH assistant regional director Pundidato Matmug said the new bridge will have a new design and will be higher than the old one. Matmug explained that it would take a year for the new bridge to be constructed. The bridge holds water pipes and electric and communication lines. Based on initial investigation, Matmug said the concrete of the bridge was way beyond the expiration date. He said the concrete used has a lifespan of only 25 years. The bridge is already 58 years old. Matmug also tasked district engineers to check on other bridges in the city and report those that need repairs. DPWH secretary and Southern Mindanao officer-in-charge Manuel Bonoan assured Duterte that funds would be released immediately in order to hasten the construction of the new bridge. House Majority Leader Prospero Nograles also said the Arroyo government is willing to provide funds for the rehabilitation of the old bridge or the construction of a new span. Nograles said he ask President Arroyo for funding for the bridge, which he said should be exempted from the election ban. “(There is) no election ban when public safety is the reason. Public welfare is supreme over public works ban. Or else we have to outlaw calamities like storms and earthquakes," Nograles said. Meanwhile, traffic advisories have been put on roads, along McArthur Highway, Quimpo Boulevard in the south and JP Laurel to Central bank in the North, to inform the public about the bridge’s repair so an alternative route could be planned. All trucks coming from the south are also barred from entering the city center. “The trucks must make a left turn near Lonbisco and pass through Diversion road should they want to enter the city proper," Gempesaw said. Trucks coming from the north will also be sent advisories, but Gempesaw said most of them stop at the Chinatown area. Gempesaw said the present measures they have put up will suffice for the moment but the Traffic Management Center will still look for ways to help improve the situation. - GMANews.TV