Tacloban City (CNN Philippines) — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will soon start constructing a new bridge in Leyte to replace the bridge that was damaged by Typhoon Seniang, said Leyte 2nd District Engineer Carlos Veloso.
The Hiagsam Bridge, in the town of Jaro, is one of the three major bridges in Leyte located along national highway that was damaged by flooding caused by Typhoon Seniang in December 2014.
This bridge is vital for travelers and vehicles plying to Biliran province and Ormoc City, which is the gateway to Cebu.
The existing road is built of rough gravel and sits on a steep incline that makes it hard for heavy trucks and loaded buses to drive down and up from one end to the other. It is even harder to maneuver during rainy season as the road becomes slippery.
Veloso said that they will be asphalting the detour bridge while waiting for the repairs to finish.
This is also in compliance to the resolution of the provincial board members of Leyte that seek the engineering district to improve the detour area that sometimes causes heavy traffic.
The national government, through the calamity fund, allocated more than P37 million for the construction of a new bridge and the boring test conducted in the area was already released.
According to Veloso, the boring test or sub-soil exploration is mandated by the secretary of the DPWH to determine the depth of pile driving. This is not only applicable to bridge construction but also to construction of school buildings that are more than one storey.
An alternative route, the San Miguel-Barugo-Carigara road, was provided for heavy truck operators but some local government officials are now complaining.
San Miguel town Mayor Cheeryl Enrica Esperas said that there is a positive and negative effect of making road leading to their town as alternate route for vehicles.
One positive effect is it makes people aware of where their town is located which is good as they are now in the planning stage of developing their tourism program, but on the other hand, heavy trucks damage the provincial road within their town.
Esperas said that she hopes that the road will soon be declared as national road so the national government can provide allocation for its rehabilitation.
Veloso also added that there is a problem in converting roads within the town of San Miguel as national roads as there is a provision in law that prohibits the conversion of a provincial road into a national road if it is within five kilometers radius from an existing national road.
