DPWH apologizes, but insists on repair

CEBU, Philippines - The sixth district engineering office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) - 7 yesterday apologized to the different local government units for their lack of coordination in announcing the repair of Marcelo Fernan bridge.

Sixth District Engineer Santiago Suico, during a press conference held at the function room of the J Centre Mall yesterday, personally apologized for their lack of coordination which has caught Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes and Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza by surprise when they announced that portions of the bridge will be closed for repair. 

The planned repair works has been postponed and he cannot say for certain when the repair will take place because at present, a technical working group (TWG) which was just newly formed will prepare a traffic scheme at the bridge to be implemented once the repair will start. 

He said that it will be the Metro Cebu Bridge Management Board (MCBMB) who will announce when the repair will start. 

 Suico yesterday said that there is really a need to repair the Marcelo Fernan bridge because its 18 expansion joints are already severely damaged due to the weather. Also, he said these already reached their lifespan because these are only made of rubber, unlike in the Old Mactan-Mandaue bridge where the expansion joints are still in good condition because these are made of metal.

The DPWH plans to replace the second bridge with metal expansion joints.

A bridge expansion joint is an assembly designed to safely absorb the heat, induce expansion and contraction of various construction materials, to absorb vibration and hold certain parts together or to allow movement due to ground settlement or earthquake. These are commonly found between sections of sidewalks,bridges,railway trucks and piping systems.

Suico that out of the 18 expansion joints that need repair only sixteen will undergo the repair as the two others are not yet included in the P25 million budget. Each expansion joint costs P262,000 each.

Suico added that the bridge structure is still in condition and the only problem at the bridge right now is its expansion joints. — Flor Z.Perolina/JPM (THE FREEMAN)