The new Pasac-Culcul Bridge 1 and 2 along Sto. Tomas-Minalin Road in Minalin, Pampanga and the Samal Bridge along Jct L ayac-Balanga-Mariveles Port Road in Samal, Bataan are now officially open to vehicular traffic.
House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo together with Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark A. Villar, Pampanga 4th District Rep. Juan Pablo Bondoc, Pampanga Vice Governor Dennis Pineda, DPWH Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain, and DPWH Unified Project Management Office – Bridge Management Cluster Director Gil R. Villanueva led the unveiling of marker and ceremonial drive thru to formally inaugurate the three (3) newly built bridges on Thursday, September 6, 2018.
Also present at the ceremonial inauguration are DPWH Region 3 Director Roseller Tolentino; Asst. Director Loreta Malaluan; Project Directors Sharif Madsmo Hasim and Johnson Domingo; Minalin, Pampanga Mayor Edgardo Flores, Santo Tomas, Pampanga Mayor Johnny Sambo, Samal, Bataan Mayor Generosa M. Dela Fuente and other local officials.
Secretary Villar said the new Pasac-Culcul Bridges 1 and 2 are replacement projects of two (2) bailey bridges in Pampanga that lie along the 15-kilometer diversion road and bypasses the busy roads of Sto. Tomas and City of San Fernado, Pampanga.
The new Samal Bridge is also a replacement of an old 2-lane bridge with rusty steel girders that needed to be replaced with reinforced concrete girder.
“These new 2-lane bridges were constructed under the DPWH Bridge Construction Replacement Program (BCRP) I Contract Package 2 implemented by DPWH UPMO-Bridge Management Cluster to provide safer, sturdier linkage along national roads that also serve as diversion roads and help decongest traffic along major thoroughfares,” said Secretary Villar.
DPWH BCRP aims to replace existing weak bridges by constructing new bridges which will give high impacts in the community through interconnecting road networks nationwide, added Villar.
DPWH spent P43.7 million to replace Pasac-Culcul Bridge 1 that stretches 90 lineal meters while P26.7 million was allocated to Pasac-Culcul Bridge 2 stretching 45 linear meters and another P14.6 million for Samal Bridge that stretches 35 linear meters.
For BCRP’s Stage 2, DPWH plans to complete by end of September the replacement of the 90-linear meter Langawan Bridge in Baler, Aurora, and the 21-linear meter Salvacion Bridge in Lupao, Nueva Ecija.
The replacement of 320-linear meter Sabang Bridge in Baler Aurora; 240-lineal meter Sibut Bridge in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija; and the 150-linear meter Carael Bridge in Botolan, Zambales are also set for completion and opening by February 2019 under BCRP Stage 3