Execs warn two Cagayan bridges may collapse too

BY ARMAND TAMARAY

TUGUEGARAO CITY – Regional officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways warned two more brides in Cagayan, including a more than three-decade-old cable suspension bridge, may collapse if they are not promptly rehabilitated, as they have recommended.

Earlier, a 50-meter span of the 300-meter long Lucban Bridge in Abulug town, which provided links to the Ilocos region, collapsed after a truck weighing beyond the bridge’s load capacity passed through it.

DPWH regional director engineer Eugenio Pipo Jr. said the 800-meter long Magapit Bridge – said to be first cable suspension bridge in Asia – in Lallo town and another mayor Marcos-era bridge in Pamplonamay may also collapse if they are not rehabilitated soon.

The two bridges, as well as Lucban, all have allowed load capacity of not more 18 tons, engineers said.

Pipo said consultations have been done for the rehabilitation of the Magapit and Pamplona bridges, which, along with Lucban, are some 20 to 30 years old.

“We have started conducting defense engineering on the Magapit Bridge and we plan to check its cables to see if they are still stable,” he said.

“The DPWH central office has apparently already awarded the repair to a national contractor and the same is also true with the Pamplona Bridge which has also been submitted for rehabilitation by the central office,” he added.

Cagayan Gov. Alvaro Antonio earlier called on the national government to fast-track the repair of the Lucban Bridge, which was opened to light vehicles recently.