BAGUIO CITY – The local government wants the regional and district offices of the public works department and the City Engineering office (CEO) to compel contractors of public works projects to start using quick dry concrete mix to lessen the burden of the public from the serious delays in the completion of major infrastructure projects around the city.
Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong asserted the need for public works contractors in the city to upgrade their performance in the implementation of their awarded projects by using the quick dry concrete mix in their projects to ensure their immediate curing and for closed roads to be immediately opened right after the lapse of the prescribed curing period for the quick dry concrete mix.
He suggested that the winning contractor of the road re-blocking along portions of Marcos Highway should be required to use the quick dry concrete mix on the pavement so that the project site could be immediately opened to traffic the soonest and prevent the occurrence of monstrous traffic congestions that will greatly affect the public.
Earlier, the public works department indefinitely suspended the implementation of its programmed road re-blocking project along portions of Marcos Highway considering the clamor of the public due to its expected serious negative effect to the traffic along one of the city’s major roadline.
He claimed that instead of using the concrete mix that has a curing period of 28 days, contractors must now be compelled to use the concrete that could be cured in 24 hours or at least 7 days to lessen the closure of major portions of roads and lessen the suffering of the people from the traffic caused by the closure of such roads.
According to him, the public works department and the City Engineering office should incorporate the use of the quick dry concrete mix to the programs of work and specifications of major road infrastructure projects being implemented in the different parts of the city The local chief executive stated that because of the expected serious negative impact of the prolonged closure of roads to pave the way for the implementation of major infrastructure projects, implementing agencies and the contractors must continue to explore possibilities on how to reduce the duration that roads will be closed aside from using the state of the art construction methods to ensure that the quality of the said projects will not be compromised.
While there will be additional cost on the part of the implementing agency in requiring contractors to use the latest construction methods in the prosecution of major infrastructure projects, he explained that the primary purpose of such proposal is to reduce the impact of the closure of roads to the public and guarantee that the quality of such projects will not be compromised for the same to be able to achieve their prescribed economic life.
Upon his assumption in office last July, the city mayor ordered contractors to provide the required personal protective equipment of their workers while working in their assigned work places for their safety among other purposes and that those who will not comply with the said order will be dealt with accordingly by the concerned government regulating agencies and the implementing offices of the local government that involves fines among other penalties.
By Dexter A. See
