Governor-elect Aris Aumentado will order the full inspection of all bridges in the province following the collapse of the Clarin Bridge in Loay and Borja Bridge in Catigbian.
According to Aumentado, the inspection will cover the structural integrity of national, provincial, municipal and barangay bridges.
“Kinahanglanon na tanan tulay sa probinsya naa gyuy himuong evaluation e-report gyud og unsa gyuy status ana, strength ani, or unsay angay intervention,” said Aumentado.
In a span of less than two months, the Clarin Bridge crumbled leaving four persons dead and over a dozen injured in April while the Borja bridged collapsed last week taking down with it a 12-wheeler truck.
The Clarin Bridge and the Borja Bridge are under the management of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the provincial government, respectively.
Aumentado, who will officially take over as governor at noon on June 30, said he had requested for an inspection and reinforcement of the Borja Bridge a week before it collapsed.
However, the steel bridge which was erected in 1996 collapsed due to overloading before the contractor could start the rehabilitation.
“Timingan pud na ag contractor ni adto sa bay ako siyang gi dretso og sulti na ‘ayo na diha’ kay basig ma disgrasya na. A week after, nahugmak na ang tulay,” said Aumentado.
In a report to outgoing Governor Art Yap, provincial engineer Camilo Gasatan said the bridge could not handle the weight of an Alturas Group of Companies truck.
He said the 10-ton truck was transporting almost 40 tons of sand while crossing the bridge which had a weight limit of only 20 tons.
Gasatan, considering that the steel bridge showed no signs of rusting prior to the collapse, said the bridge likely gave in due to repeated passage of overweight trucks.
“Laktod pagkastorya na stress gyud ni among tulay, nabingat ni kay purely steel man to. Wa man gani to mataya kay deeply galvanized man to. Bug-at lang gyud ang ni-agi. Kadaghan na daw pud sila ni agi pero actually ang bridge di man pud na mahugno diretso, mura’g sa sige og agi-agi og bug-at mao ni bigay na,” said Gasatan. (RT)