LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The municipal government is dismayed by the continuous delay in the completion of the 38-lineal meters Pines Park bridge along Km. 4 which can now be considered as the longest bridge in the province’s history.
Mayor Romeo K. Salda said that the local government received a report from the Department of Public Works and Highways–First Benguet District Engineering Office (DPWH-FBDEO) which did not contain the definite time frame on the supposed completion of the construction of the bridge which started way back in October 2022.
He claimed that what is further disappointing is that the delays in the construction is being linked to the lack of manpower by the contractor which is the responsibility of the agency that is overseeing the project to ensure that the construction of the bridge will be completed within the prescribed time frame.
The mayor pointed out that the lack of manpower of the contractor should be immediately addressed by the implementing agency so that the project will be completed to ease the burden of the affected residents who had been patiently waiting for its opening to vehicular traffic despite the bridge having been opened to pedestrian traffic.
Earlier, the construction of the Pines Park bridge ,which is only 38 lineal meters, had been projected in October 2023 after which it was moved to November, then December and eventually by February this year.
However, Mayor Salda expressed doubt on the declared completion of the project by this month, saying that there is still a lot of work to be done on the approaches to ensure that it will be safe to be opened to vehicular traffic and end the inconveniences caused to the residents by the closure of the bridge for more than a year.
According to him, the municipal government is awaiting the results of the consultations conducted by Balili barangay officials with the concerned residents and property owners traversed by the bridge once it will be connected with the main road of the Halsema highway although there are already initial reports that have reached him where one of the property owners is in favor of having some of his property taken while the other one does not agree with the expropriation of his property to allow the bridge to be connected with the road.
The municipal council authorized the mayor to file the appropriate expropriation proceedings with the courts for the expropriation of the portions of the properties that will be affected to allow the bridge to be extended and connect with the main road.
Salda stipulated that the expropriation might be too late considering that the contractor of the bridge project is now working on the approaches that might contribute to the further delays in its supposed completion, thus, the ultimate remedy is to convince the property owners to allow portions of their properties to be taken to allow the extension of the bridge embankment up to the main road to pave the way for motorists to easily maneuver while approaching or leaving the bridge.
The Pines Park bridge was a former bailey bridge before it was converted into a wooden structure and now a concrete one as per the project designed by the public works department. By Dexter A. See