Mayor orders coring test for P10-M Irisan project

By Dexter A. See 

BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan ordered the City Engineering Office to subject the P10 million Irisan road project in Purok 12 leading to the site of the Philippine Science High School (PSHS) to the required coring test to check quality of completed work before accepting the long overdue project.

The concreting project had been subject of numerous complaints not only from the residents living in the area but also from motorists who saw the alleged poor workmanship of the city-funded project supposed to benefit the communities living in the place and the officials and students of the city-based science high school.

“The local government did not yet accept the project after we received numerous complaints on alleged obvious cracks on the various sections of the pavement. We have instructed the City Engineering Office to do the appropriate coring test to determine if the design mix of the concrete used for the project was in accordance with prescribed industry standards,” Domogan stressed.

Observers recalled the contractor of the project reportedly used job mix for the concrete used in the project, thus, the quality of the work was doubted after there were evident cracks along the stretch of the road from its junction with Naguilian road up to the PSHS campus.

Job mix refers to the mixing of concrete aggregates on-site which may compromise the standard mix required in a   particular project.

According to him, if the samples from the project site will fail in the coring test, the local government will oblige the contractor to remove and replace the defective concrete pavement to comply with the standard design mix of 3,400 pounds per square inch strength of pavement.

The city government allocated P10 million for the concreting project of the city road in Purok 12.

Concerned citizens have complained the surface of the concrete pavement is now allegedly experiencing scouring in various sections evidently proving that the project was not done in accordance with industry standards to allow the pavement to last its prescribed economic life.

Domogan added the local government will make it a policy to conduct the mandatory coring tests in all major infrastructure projects implemented by the city to ascertain that contractors comply with the specific programs of work and design mix for their projects.

Under the coring test, samples of the concrete pavement will be randomly taken from the completed works and subjected to the strength test by accredited companies having the expertise to conduct the said test.