ILOILO – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region 6 is still waiting for the results of the review conducted by DPWH’s Bureau of Design (BOD) on the P802-million Aganan flyover in Barangay Aganan, Pavia town.
In December 2022, DPWH suspended the construction of the flyover’s main structure, aside from the work on its approaches.
Assistant Regional Director Jose Al Fruto said their office already submitted to the BOD the needed documents for the design study, particularly of the 50-meter span intersection part of the Aganan flyover.
“We are not talking about the whole span or the whole structure of the flyover, but the middle span, that part lang. We submitted additional documents nga needed sang BOD,” Fruto said in an interview with Panay News.
He said he currently has no timeline for the release of results or comments from the BOD but hopes that the construction work will resume anytime soon.
Fruto explained the DPWH-6 considered using steel girders instead of concrete for the flyover’s 50-meter span intersection part.
“The premise is that ang Ungka and Aganan (flyovers) isa lang ang nagplano or nag-design, so gina-upod na lang ang paglantaw kag pag-assess,” Fruto said.
The P680-million Ungka flyover, which was closed to traffic on September 18, 2022, just two weeks after it fully opened, suffers from vertical displacement.
“But we are not saying nga may issue or may deficiency man (in the Aganan flyover),” clarified Fruto.
He said steel girders are easy to fabricate, and their use would hasten completion.
“This is an alternative or option just in case…kay looking at it, bug-at gani ang 26 meters (referring to span being supported by problematic piers 4, 5 and 6 of the Ungka flyover), how much more ang 50 meters span? Steel is lighter than concrete,” said Fruto.
The concrete girders already in place won’t be dismantled, he added.
Aganan flyover construction began in July 2020, while the Ungka flyover began in the first quarter of 2020.
The contractor for both projects is the International Builders Corporation.
DPWH-6 regional director Nerie Bueno also clarified no defects were detected with the Aganan flyover, although they had to be proactive since it stands on a single road line and has a similar soil class to the Ungka flyover.
“We are just thinking na baka maging pareho din ‘yong resulta. So to be sure, we returned the design sa central office namin for them to review. If they think there’s nothing to change, then okay, at least we did our part. We are just being cautious or proactive because of what happened to Ungka [flyover], kasi it’s really hard to introduce intervention kapag tapos na,” Bueno explained.
She said she understood the daily plight of the Ilonggos. Since she was not yet seated in DPWH when the construction began, all she could do was make ways for faster interventions.
“Kaya lang ang intervention na hinahanap natin, we cannot decide it on a day or two, kasi ang deperensya nito is beneath or nasa ilalim. So, we have to bore it; we have to take time para at least ang intervention natin siguradong tama. If we rush things, baka hindi naman tama ang gagawin, lalo na magiging problema”, she added./PN
