Japan finances repair of 2 vital Metro bridges

File photo ARNOLD ALMACEN

With a funding of 9.78 billion yen (about P3.6 billion) from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), two bridges in Metro Manila—Guadalupe in Makati City and Lambingan in Sta. Ana, Manila—will soon undergo “seismic retrofitting” and rehabilitation using Japanese technology.

A representative of the Manila office of the Japanese development aid agency told the Inquirer in a phone interview that the Metro Manila Priority Bridges Seismic Improvement Project would likely be implemented by late 2017 or early 2018. It is expected to be completed by January 2021.

According to Jica, it wanted to “strengthen the resilience of the transport network [in the National Capital Region] during large-scale earthquakes by replacing and reinforcing” these bridges. “Japanese technology and experience in seismic countermeasures are going to be utilized in the project,” it added.

Guadalupe Bridge on Edsa connects the cities of Makati and Mandaluyong while Lambingan Bridge links Manila to Makati and Mandaluyong cities.

According to project files given to the Inquirer by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), “the outer bridges of the 114-meter Guadalupe Bridge will be replaced with three-span steel deck box girders while the inner bridge will be retrofitted.”

The demolition of the outer bridges will be made “within a short period of time” while “pier foundation works will be done on the new outer bridges and the existing inner bridge.” In addition, soil improvement will be employed on the existing abutments of the inner bridge.

Earlier, a Jica study showed that “the inner bridge’s condition [was] good but sections of both outer bridges [were] problematic.”

On the other hand, the 90-meter Lambingan Bridge “will be replaced with a new bridge with a steel deck and a foundation using concrete piles.” Aside from works on the superstructure, construction will also cover the approach road as well as road lighting and markings. -Ben O. de Vera, Jerry E. Esplanada