SAN JOSE, Antique – Barring inclement weather, it will take roughly eight months to complete the repair of the old Paliwan Bridge, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The rehabilitation of two spans of the old bridge, equivalent to 50 meters, will commence once the budget is released, said District Engineer Mark Anthony M. Alejo of DPWH-Antique.
The P70-million budget from the 2023 Quick Response Fund (QRF) intended for the repair of the old bridge is expected to be released within this month, he added.
The official added that the construction of the P300-million new Paliwan Bridge is now ongoing in the Laua-an town side and is expected to be completed within one year.
The funding of the new bridge was allocated in the 2023 national budget.
While waiting for these projects to be completed, Alejo said DPWH will continue to maintain the temporary embankment to facilitate land travel from the southern to the northern part of the province, and vice versa.
Out of its internal resources, DPWH is also working on a Bailey Bridge, a prefabricated steel truss bridge designed for rapid bridge construction, to be built on the downstream side of the old Paliwan bridge.
This will be used as another alternate route in addition to the temporary embankment.
Once the lacking components arrive, it will take DPWH three months to install the Bailey Bridge and be opened for public use, said Alejo. (PIA-Antique)/PN
