Tullahan Bridge in Valenzuela to be closed for six months

Tullahan Bridge on McArthur Highway, a major link that connects Valenzuela City and Bulacan to Metro Manila, will be closed to traffic for six months starting on March 5 to make way for its reconstruction.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando said the bridge is old and unstable and needs to be redesigned because the buildup of sediment and garbage have raised the Tullahan River waterline.

Fernando, MMDA and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials inspected the site yesterday.

Under the plan, the new bridge would be 2.1 meters higher and 10 meters longer with a width of 30 meters including the sidewalks.

During heavy rains, the Tullahan River often overflows and inundates low-lying areas of Valenzuela City, Malabon, Caloocan City and Navotas.

MMDA and DPWH, the lead agencies in the P60.5-million Tullahan Bridge project, gave R.C. Ramos Construction Corp., the project contractor, until August to finish the project.

"We are very serious on this project, and we want it finished fast," Fernando told the construction firm personnel and DPWH and MMDA engineers.

Fernando also reminded yesterday residents living near the river to stop dumping garbage into the river and surrounding canals. Heavy equipment and trucks have started clearing the bridge base of tons of garbage.

Fernando said the MMDA and officials of Valenzuela and Malabon will finalize alternative traffic routes once construction starts next month.

Motorists have at least three alternative routes to use – the North Luzon Expressway, the newly constructed bridge a few meters away from the old Tullahan Bridge, and inner roads.