DPWH earmarks P76-M for Leyte bridge repair

CARIGARA, Leyte, Oct. 16  -- The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has set aside PHP76 million to widen a bridge in central Leyte, complementing the nationwide road widening projects.

Carigara Bridge is getting a major facelift with PHP45 million outlay this year and PHP31 million in 2019, DPWH Leyte 2nd district engineering office chief Carlos Veloso said in an interview Tuesday.

“The 121-meter bridge, once completed, will be as good as new. The project was bid out last Sept. 24,” he added. The project will start before the year ends.

The bridge is being widened from two lanes to four lanes to accommodate a larger number of motorists, provide a safer travel to both locals and tourists, and ease out traffic congestion along the province’s major thoroughfares.

The bridge will be modified to make it more resistant to seismic activity or ground motion and to conform to the latest DPWH bridge-design standards with enhanced load-bearing capacity.

The bridge is within the primary highway that connects Tacloban City to Ormoc City, the commercial hub in western Leyte and the region’s major gateway to Cebu City.

Traffic will not be affected, considering that while the repair is ongoing, vehicles will just pass the new Carigara Bridge, just beside the old bridge, said Veloso.

Veloso thanked DPWH Secretary Mark Villar for the department’s support to construction of the vital bridges in Leyte’s second district.

The engineering office has now the authority to bid, procure and implement the project after they managed to secure approval from the regional office, he said.

Early this year, the DPWH field office here got the authority to implement projects with costs exceeding the PHP50-million-limit for field offices. (LAAA/PNA)