DPWH stops Davao bridge opening amid Baste’s rants about safety

NEW SPAN President Marcos (4th from left), inspects the Bucana Bridge in Davao City on Dec. 4, along with Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon (3rd from left), Special Assistance to the President Anton Lagdameo (2nd from left) and other government officials. The President praises Chinese contractors of the bridge for the timely completion of the facility and announces its opening to commuters by Dec. 15, which has now been reset to a still unspecified date. —PHOTO FROM DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS DAVAO REGION

DAVAO CITY—The Department of Public Works and Highways in the Davao region (DPWH-11) has called off the opening of the Bucana Bridge here, a day after Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte ranted about it as “premature” due to some safety issues.

In a public advisory on Tuesday, the DPWH-11 said the decision was made “in the interest of public safety.”

“… Additional safety measures and assessments are still being undertaken to ensure the protection of all motorists and road users,” the DPWH-11 advisory said.

“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and respectfully ask for the public’s understanding. Rest assured that the safety and welfare of the public remain our top priority,” it added.

President Marcos, following an inspection on Dec. 4, has announced that the bridge, which is part of the Davao City Coastal Bypass Road, will be opened to the public on Dec. 15, to help ease traffic congestion, especially during the Yuletide season.

The road is expected to cut travel time from the southern part of the city to the downtown area from 2.5 hours to just 30 minutes.

Hazards

In a statement released at 5 p.m. on Monday, also the scheduled hour when the bridge was supposed to open to the public, the mayor noted that only two lanes of the four-lane road would be open, hence, it might pose some hazards to motorists and commuters.

“The Segment B of the coastal road remains under the jurisdiction of DPWH as it has not yet been officially turned over to the (local government unit), primarily because the project is still unfinished,” the mayor said in the statement.

Duterte also said that according to the DPWH, all four lanes were scheduled for completion by March next year.

He added that an inspection conducted by the Davao City Road Project Advisory and Monitoring Board (DCRPAMB) on Sunday, revealed that only two lanes were nearing completion.

Duterte also said there were no streetlights and safety signage installed at one exit yet.

“Members of the DCRPAMB also asked DPWH why Segment B would be opened despite being unfinished (but) no proper answer was given,” he said.

Careless

Duterte then called President Marcos’ earlier promise to have the bridge opened on Dec. 15 as “careless.”

“The integrity and safety of public roads must not be compromised simply because a deadline has been carelessly set,” said the mayor.

But beyond his complaint about the road safety concerns, Duterte issued potshots at the President, once his family’s political ally that they now consider as arch enemy.

Duterte told the DPWH: “Should anything happen to Dabawenyos in that area because of inadequate streetlights and safety measures, that is on you and your stupidity.”

“If they insist on opening it today, let them be because the President behaves like a child,” He said on Monday.

Several hours after Duterte’s rants, the DPWH-11 called off the bridge’s opening, resetting it to Tuesday.

By Tuesday, the agency said the scheduled opening “will not push through,” although it has not referenced Duterte’s statement on Monday.

The DPWH has not given a date when it will finally happen.