Valenzuela’s Gatchalian seeks postponement of Tullahan Bridge work

Valenzuela City Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian objected yesterday to the impending total closure of the Tullahan Bridge along MacArthur Highway set for Friday next week, March 16 and proposed that it be called off for another two months.

This developed after the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), who are overseeing the project, failed to present a viable traffic rerouting scheme.

Gatchalian has asked the two agencies to study his proposal so as not to inconvenience motorists and commuters but also disrupt the flow of commerce and unnecessarily impose more burden to the business community in the city.

The two agencies have yet to make a reply.

Gatchalian pointed out it was evident during the dry run held last Tuesday that the rerouting scheme was insufficient to handle the heavy volume of vehicles along MacArthur Highway.

"We simply cannot close this major thoroughfare without a feasible alternative for motorists," Gatchalian said in a one-page statement.

He is pushing for a postponement on the reconstruction of the 73-year-old bridge at least until the construction of the bridge along M.H. del Pilar Street in Barangay Tenejeros in Malabon is finished. The road, an alternate route west of the highway, is used mostly by heavy cargo trucks.

Once the construction of the M.H. del Pilar Bridge is complete and made passable to heavy trucks and other vehicles, Gatchalian said, traffic along MacArthur Highway would be manageable even if the Tullahan Bridge is closed to all traffic.

He said the detour bridge along R. Delfin Street, east of the MacArthur Highway, proved it cannot handle the heavy volume of vehicles.

The detour bridge was completed in 2004 yet in anticipation of the bridge’s demolition. The reconstruction dragged on for some three years already due to many problems, among others, a significant change in the bridge’s design and others related to right-of-way acquisition.

"With the M.H. del Pilar Bridge west of the highway under construction and the residents of Victoneta Subdivision east of the highway refusing their entry for obvious reasons, the only alternative left for heavy vehicles would be the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), which should pose more problems," said Gatchalian.

He has made the appeal even as he announced earlier that the northbound lane of Tullahan Bridge will be closed to traffic at 6 a.m. on Monday.

Motorists are advised to take the Victoneta subdivision and the detour bridge on Delfin Street on their way to the city. Buses going up north are directed to take the NLEX. – Jerry Botial