SABANGAN, Mountain Province – The First Mountain Province District Engineering Office worked on the immediate opening of the 140-feet detour bridge in Nacagang here early last week after it was washed away by the rampaging waters of the Chico river following successive days of heavy downpour in Bauko town last week.
Engr. Wilbur Likigan, FMDEO district engineer, said the RC pipes that serve as drainage of the detour bridge were blocked by debris that caused the bridge to be carried away by the strong water current which resulted in the closure of the area to vehicular traffic for over 24 ours.
However, he said maintenance crew from the agency were dispatched to clear the debris that clogged the drainage system of the bridge and for the re-opening of the detour bridge to vehicular traffic to prevent the isolation of the seven towns of the province from Baguio City and northern Benguet.
The DPWH-FMDEO official said he was forced to assign round the clock maintenance crew in the area to monitor the situation of the drainage and for them to immediately remove the debris clog to prevent the repeated closure of the detour bridge and to make sure that there will be an uninterrupted travel in and out of the province.
According to him, the agency is about to bid out the construction of the abutment of the detour bridge to serve as a bridge sheet for the 13 to 14 bailey panels that will be assembled for a more sturdy detour bridge and prevent the area from being closed to vehicular traffic during heavy downpours while the construction of the main bridge is still underway.
Likigan explained that once the abutment of the detour bridge will be completed by the winning contractor, it will be the personnel of the agency that will assemble the bailey panels ready for installation over the bridge sheet to allow and then opened to vehicular traffic to ensure the continuous flow of traffic in and out of Mountain province.
Once closed to traffic, the towns of Bontoc, Sagada, Besao, parts of Sabangan, Sadanga, Barlig, Natonin, and Paracelis will be isolated from Baguio City and northern Benguet and motorists have to pass through a longer route through Banaue, Ifugao if they desire to go to their desired points of destination in the province.
When the main bridge and the detour bridge were washed out by previous weather disturbances over the past several years, Gov. Bonifacio Lacwasan, Jr. was instrumental in negotiating with the concerned property owners in the area to allow their properties to be traversed by the detour bridge so that the province will not be isolated while the main bridge is being constructed.
Likigan admitted that it will take more than a year for the main bridge in the area to be completed that is why motorists will have to make do with the existing detour bridge with the permission of the property owners to ensure the free flow of vehicular traffic in and out of the province to avoid the delay in the transactions of people in various private and public offices.
He appealed to the public for understanding and patience over the current state of the detour and main bridges because the agency is trying its best to work out the completion of the projects for better flow of traffic in Mountain Province.
By HENT