Load limits imposed on 3 aging bridges in Cagayan, Samar
Load limits have been imposed on three aging bridges in the country—one in Cagayan province and two on Samar Island— amid safety issues for commuters crossing these vital spans.
In Cagayan, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has ordered the ban on travel of six-wheeler to 10-wheeler trucks and above, whether loaded or empty, along the 55-year-old Buntun Bridge in Sanchez Mira town to ensure safety and avoid a repeat of what happened to Piggatan Bridge in Alcala town, which collapsed on Oct. 6 while four trucks heavily loaded with palay and construction materials were crossing through it.
The DPWH Cagayan 3rd District Engineering Office (DEO) imposed the ban on Buntun Bridge starting on Oct. 10 due to the dilapidated state of the bridge.
“The ageing Buntun Bridge is showing signs of deterioration as manifested by continuous sudden appearance of openings on the deck slab,” said DPWH-Cagayan 3rd DEO Quality Assurance Section Chief Valerico Badua Jr. in a statement Friday.
According to Badua, what they found was “not on the weakening stage of the deck slab alone but underneath that supports it.”
The DPWH said motorists and trading trucks plying to and from Cagayan could take alternative guided routes through the Daang Maharlika Highway.
Then the longest
Buntun Bridge stretches from Tuguegarao City to Solana in Cagayan and traverses the Cagayan River, the largest river basin in the Philippines, and a part of the Santiago–Tuguegarao Road. It was the longest bridge in the Philippines upon its opening on Dec. 11, 1969, surpassed in 1973 by the San Juanico Bridge that links the islands of Leyte and Samar.
Built to avoid flooding, the 73-meter or 240-foot Japanese steel-made bridge, through truss spans and one 15-meter or 50-foot I-beam approach on the Solana side, has earned a popular belief that the bridge is long enough for a person to sing the entire Philippine National Anthem while traversing and enjoying the picturesque view of the Cagayan River
.The bridge is the gateway to Cagayan’s provincial capital, Tuguegarao City, and links to the second and third district towns of Cagayan and on to the province of Apayao.
‘Age-related’
The DPWH also imposed load restrictions and one-lane traffic schemes on two major bridges in Samar and Northern Samar provinces following structural assessments that revealed deterioration and reduced load-carrying capacity.
In Northern Samar, the DPWH First DEO enforced a 5-ton load limit and one-lane traffic at the Palanit Bridge in Barangay Palanit, San Isidro town, effective on Oct.10.
The advisory said the restriction was due to the bridge’s age-related deterioration along the Maharlika Highway.
Heavy vehicles within the 5-ton limit will be allowed to cross the bridge one at a time, while light vehicles may continue to pass as usual, said the advisory.
Motorists driving heavy vehicles exceeding the 5-ton limit are advised to take the alternate route via the Catarman-Calbayog Road through Lope de Vega, the DPWH said.
In Samar province, the DPWH Samar Second DEO announced a 15-ton gross vehicle weight limit for the Calbiga Bridge in Calbiga town, effective Oct. 27.
The restriction was based on the results of a recent load rating assessment that showed structural deterioration due to long-term service and repeated overloading.
“The imposition of weight restrictions at Calbiga Bridge is undertaken to protect lives, prevent possible bridge failure, and sustain safe connectivity along the Maharlika Highway,” the DPWH advisory said.
