DPWH rushes work on damaged Zambales bridge

THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is working round the clock to bring normalcy back to the lives of people in Central Luzon who were affected by the two successive typhoons recently.

On orders from DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., Undersecretary Romeo S. Momo said that in Zambales, one of the areas hardest hit by the storms, they are rushing work on the damaged approaches to the Carael bridge along Olongapo-Bugallon Road which was hit by floodwater and has remained not passable to motorists.

“We are constructing two additional bridge sections and adding 40 linear meters in both approaches, thereby widening the channel by a total of 140 linear meters,” said Momo.

Momo, who is in-charge of the Luzon and Manila operations of the DPWH, said the extension of the bridge and installation of box culverts will cost about P20 million.

As a preventive measure, Momo said they are working to finish work on major flood-mitigating projects such as the P4.12 billion Agno River Flood Control Project (ARFCP)-Phase II in Tarlac and Pangasinan.

He said the ARFCP Phase II involves river improvement works in the 23-kilometer Bayambang-Bautista-Alcala stretch of the Agno River extending from the Wawa Bridge in Bayambang to Alcala.

The project aims to mitigate damages in the Agno River basin caused by recurrent flooding due to the insufficient carrying capacity of the river and the lack of height and width of existing earth dikes to cope with flooding, which has affected towns in Tarlac and Pangasinan since the 90s. By: Jess V. Antiporda - journal online