ILOILO City – Damned if you do. Damned if you don’t. So what the heck.
“Dayon ta opening, but with continuous monitoring,” declared Department of Public Works and Highways (DWPH) Region 6 officer-in-charge, Engr. Sanny Boy Oropel.
He confirmed to Panay News yesterday that the P680-million Ungka flyover is reopening to motorists today, albeit partially.
“Kon indi pag-i-open damo reklamo. Anay i-open damo man istorya. Indi ko ma-intindihan,” said an exasperated Oropel.
The decision to reopen the two inner lanes of the four-lane flyover was made despite concerns from the public and netizens about safety.
To address this, Oropel assured the public that DPWH-6 engineers would closely monitor the structure. He emphasized that the decision to reopen was based on facts.
“Dulaon na nila ang fear,” Oropel said.
He pointed to the controlled dynamic traffic loading test conducted in late August, which showed no displacements.
Oropel personally oversaw the load test, which involved various scenarios over several days. On each day, the test involved multiple dump trucks with a gross weight of 20 tons traversing the flyover at controlled speeds.
During Day 1 of the load test, six dump trucks with a gross weight of 20 tons traversed the flyover at 30 to 40 kilometers per hour (kph). The test lasted one hour with the trucks crossing the flyover in 12 cycles.
For Day 2, there were still six dump trucks with a gross weight of 20 tons and a speed of 30 to 40 kph. It lasted for one hour and 13 minutes, with 18 cycles.
For Day 3, there were eight dump trucks with a gross weight of 20 tons and a speed of 30 to 40 kph. It lasted for two hours and one minute, with 30 cycles.
For Day 4, there were eight dump trucks with a gross weight of 20 tons and a speed of 30 to 40 kph. It lasted two hours and eight minutes, with 42 cycles.
For Day 5, there were eight dump trucks with a gross weight of 20 tons and a speed of 30 to 40 kph. It lasted for three hours and eight minutes, with 52 cycles.
For Day 6, eight dump trucks with a gross weight of 20 tons and a speed of 30 to 40 kph utilized the flyover in 66 cycles, which lasted three hours and 30 minutes.
For Day 7, there were 72 light vehicles with an average gross weight of six tons and a 30 to 40 kph speed. The test lasted for two hours and 20 minutes for 13 cycles.
Yesterday afternoon, before announcing that the reopening would push through, Oropel told Panay News that DPWH-6 officials heard many adverse reactions and sentiments from concerned citizens.
The reopening of the flyover comes with certain regulations:
* Only the two inner lanes of the four-lane flyover will be open.
* Access to the flyover will be restricted to rush hours, from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Beyond these hours, barriers will block access to the flyover.
Only four-wheeled vehicles, such as traditional jeepneys, modernized units, and private vehicles, will be permitted on the flyover. Motorcycles, bicycles, and tricycles will not be allowed.
An overhead “gantry” will be installed to ensure that only authorized vehicles use the flyover.
“We have established an improvised height limit for vehicles as our basis for determining which vehicles are allowed to use the Ungka flyover,” said Oropel.
To ensure motorist compliance, DPWH-6 has sought the support and cooperation of the local government unit (LGU) of Pavia and the Iloilo City Government, which will deploy traffic enforcers in the area.
Additionally, the project contractor, International Builders Corporation (IBC), will provide traffic signage and bollards to guide motorists.
“By installing bollards, we ensure the safety of commuters. Once the contractor provides these, we can open the flyover at any time,” Oropel said./PN
