Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar on Tuesday said only a few activities are left before the new Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge opens in July.
Villar said the DPWH will focus on completing approach road of the bridge and other miscellaneous works entering its final phase this couple of weeks.
At 93 percent complete barring severe weather, the goal of opening Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge to traffic by next month will likely be reached, Villar added.
In his report to Villar, Undersecretary for Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations Emil K. Sadain said concreting of approach road on both sides of Makati and Mandaluyong will complete the links with the finished main and approach bridge.
Sadain said a 50.5-meter approach road at Estrella Street, Makati towards the completed 66-meter approach bridge and 146-meter main bridge will be paved with concrete cement in the coming days with similar work underway for the 243.96-meter Mandaluyong approach road at Barangka Drive towards E. Pantaleon Street.
The on-going spreading and compaction of aggregate base course for the pavement structure of both approaches and other bridge miscellaneous activities was inspected by Sadain together with UPMO Roads Management Cluster 1 Project Director Benjamin A. Bautista and Project Manager Melchor Kabiling, and Bureau of Construction Director Aristarco Doroy and Assistant Director Edgardo Garces.
Costing PHP1.46 billion funded by a grant from the People’s Republic of China, the new Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge would have four lanes and will be a 506.46-meter pre-stressed concrete rigid frame bridge with corrugated steel webs, replacing the temporary two-lane box truss bridge made of modular steel components dismantled in 2019.
Other remaining ancillary works to complete the stunning bridge project with V-shape piers include asphalt overlay; and installation of lane markings, protective barrier and railings along both sides of the bridge, pipes for the storm water drainage structure, and lightings.
“As we wrap up the works, we’d like to thank the motorists, affected stakeholders in the project area, and the local government units for their continued patience and support to this Build, Build, Build project of the President Rodrigo Roa Duterte administration to decongest Edsa traffic,” Villar said.
Despite the pandemic, extraordinary measures were taken by DPWH to keep the construction workers from contracting Covid-19. These include taking the temperature of every worker who enters the site, enforcing the safe distance rule, disinfecting work sites and common areas, and reducing the number of people who travel in the same vehicle to and from the site. (PNA)
