ILOILO City – Expect heavy traffic in the Ungka area sooner rather than later.
The flyover will be closed to traffic again, and rectification can begin once the funds are released. The initial fund of P100 million from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) central office is ready for release.
DPWH-6 officer-in-charge (OIC), Engr. Sanny Boy Oropel, disclosed this during the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) meeting led by Vice Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon at the SP session hall yesterday morning.
Oropel was invited to discuss the safety of the flyover, which has been partially open to motorists for a week.
“Actually, Sir, expect to close the Ungka flyover anytime from maybe the last week of October until the first week of November because we are now expecting the release of the initial amount for the rectification,” Oropel told Ganzon and SP members who were present.
The funds from the DPWH central office will be used to repair piers 4, 5, and 6, particularly to add 47 meters to the depth of each of their bored piles, which are currently at 28 meters only.
“The first step is to add bored piles to piers 4, 5, and 6. Therefore, expect us to close the flyover at any time,” Oropel added.
But this is just an initial fund, the OIC regional director clarified, as the DPWH central office still estimates the total rectification budget needed.
“We haven’t started the bidding process for the rectification works yet; we are beginning the estimate. But once we receive the funds, we will begin the bidding process,” Oropel told Panay News after the SP meeting.
During the bidding process, Oropel said any experienced contractor could join.
When asked if the flyover’s contractor, International Builders Corporation (IBC), could bid, he said, “Well, actually, as I said, we won’t limit which contractor can bid, but still, it is up to the qualification activity.”
Before the flyover was reopened to light vehicles, Oropel asked for the understanding and consideration of Ilonggos, as it was likely just for a short period.
“I want to emphasize that anytime an amount is released by the DPWH central office for the rectification, the flyover will again be closed. That’s why I am seeking your consideration and understanding. If we open it, it will still possibly close later, but considering we don’t have a timeline as to rectification, it will only be partially open. But during rectification activities, it will again be closed to traffic, as this is the procedure,” Oropel said in a press conference on Sept. 19.
On Sept. 22, the Ungka flyover reopened with the following restrictions:
* 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 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Beyond these hours, barriers will block access to the flyover.
* On the flyover, only four-wheeled vehicles, such as traditional jeepneys and private vehicles, are permitted. Motorcycles, bicycles, and tricycles are not allowed.
* An overhead “gantry” will 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 of Pavia and the Iloilo City Government, which will deploy traffic enforcers in the area.
The IBC provided traffic signage and bollards to guide motorists.
‘Monitoring is continuous’
“Monitoring is ongoing and especially continuous at night,” Oropel assured Ganzon.
During the meeting, Oropel reiterated that proper consultations with the Abinales Associates Engineers + Consultants firm were made before deciding to reopen.
He referred to the load test he personally oversaw for several days. Each day, the test involved multiple dump trucks with a gross weight of 20 tons traversing the flyover at controlled speeds. All tests did not cause any displacement of the flyover.
Oropel also explained that traffic in the Ungka area is only severe during rush hours, thus the windowed opening time.
“During rush hours, we can help alleviate the traffic in the area below; that’s why we considered rush hours in the morning and in the evening,” he said.
When Councilor Sedfrey Cabaluna asked what pushed DPWH-6 to decide on the reopening, Oropel said it was due to “public clamor.”
Oropel also mentioned that the Sangguniang Bayan members of Pavia and Iloilo City’s Mayor Jerry Treñas, among others, appealed for the same.
“Our study (the load test) was not conducted with reopening in mind; but later on, we saw it could help, so why not try to reopen?” Oropel added.
The DPWH-6 OIC director assured the city council to furnish them with a copy of the results of the geotechnical investigation and their daily monitoring since the reopening.
Who’s accountable?
After the meeting, when Oropel faced members of the media, he was asked who would be accountable for what happened with the Ungka flyover. But he insisted on focusing on repairing the flyover as soon as possible, emphasizing that he was not the regional director when the construction of the flyover began.
“I probably don’t have the authority to say who is accountable since I wasn’t involved in the initial construction,” Oropel said./PN
