Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 23) — The newly built Clarin Bridge in Bohol province has been opened to motorists beginning June 21, the Department of Public Works and Highways said on Wednesday.
The old structure in Barangay Poblacion, Ubos in Loay collapsed last April. At least four people died while 15 others were injured in the accident.
The construction of the ₱501.87-million bridge is part of the Bohol Circumferential Road Contract Package 3 under the DPWH Road Upgrading and Preservation Projects funded by a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the DPWH said in a statement.
Among the Philippine officials present in the inauguration of the new Clarin Bridge was Public Works Undersecretary Emil Sadain. JICA Senior Representative Kenji Kuronuma attended for Tokyo.
According to Sadain, who is also chief implementer of the government’s Build, Build, Build program, the 104-meter bridge “is another thread of friendship linking Philippines and Japan’s steady and long-term development of meaningful bilateral cooperation.”
“Clarin Bridge is part of the Bohol Circumferential Road and will serve an important role in the mobility of goods and people and provide greater access to the tourism sites of Bohol Province,” the DPWH said. “Economic development in the area will surely surge from improved transport of goods and services and more local and foreign tourists visiting the wonders of Bohol.”
The completion of the project is also timely given the urgent need for a safer and sturdier replacement for the decades-old structure, the agency added.
