Literally bridging the gap

CABANATUAN CITY – The city government here is literally "bridging the gap" among far-flung barangays in this city with the construction of bridges interconnecting adjacent villages.

Over the past year alone, some eight locally funded bridges have already been completed in the city with 10 more bridges set to be constructed in the coming year.

City Engineer MacArthur Yap told The STAR that no less than 15 concrete bridges will be constructed by the city government in this city, purposely to provide access to and from inaccessible barangays and the traffic.

He said that the bridge program, which is implemented by administration or without the services of contractors, is part of the infrastructure program now being enforced by Mayor Julius Cesar Vergara under his development paradigm: Pagbabago, Progresso (Change, Progress)."

Yap said that over a one-year span, pre-cast bridges costing P27.37 million have already been completed in the city. These include a bridge in barangays Aduas and Nabao worth P6.8 million, and another one in Gabaldon St. leading to Aduas (P7.9 million), the Balite Bridge, the 950-linear meter long Villaluz-Central Terminal Bridge (P4.77 million), the P5.3-million, 24-linear meter long Villa Benita-Kapitan Pepe Bridge and the P2.6-million, 24-linear meter long Hinukay Bridge in Barangay Caalibangbangan.

He said that apart from these bridges, access roads have also been constructed to link areas with no access roads.

He added that 10 more bridges are on tap in the coming months.

Engineer Eduardo Gaño. chief of the city engineering office’s construction division, identified the bridges to be constructed as the Sumacab-Talipapa bridge which is undergoing zone exploration, Sumacab Este Bridge, three bridges at Lorenville-Sunrise Subdivision leading to Barangay Valle Cruz, one bridge that will connect barangays Mabini and Aduas, one linking Sta. Arcadia, Tagpos and Sta. Rosa and one linking NE Pacific and Sumacab.

Gaño said the complied road constructions are the Sumacab-Sta. Rosa Road, Nori St., Manrio Road and Central Terminal-Villaluz Road. On-going are the concreating of the Bakero-Bagonig sikat, Barlis-Sapang-Balite, Cabu-Macatbong, Cinci-Cinco-Caalibangbangan, Dalampang-Buliran, Kalikid Norte, Valdefuente-Cantarilla, San Isidro-Bakod Bayan, Bantug, Daan Sarile-Cruz Roja, Isla-Pagas and Maharlika-Sumacab, Del Pilar/Gabaldon-Aduas, Aduas-Nabao and Bitas-Nueva Ecija-Quezon Roads and Kapitan Berong St.

He also said that the city government completed the construction of schoolbuildings in Barangay Patalac, school stage in Kalikid Norte and construction of cross drain at the Central Terminal.