EDITORIAL - Still melting in the rain

The rehabilitation of EDSA, Metro Manila’s busiest thoroughfare, is supposed to serve as a model for quality road works amid the corruption scandal that has rocked the Department of Public Works and Highways.

As described by the DPWH, the P6.5-billion EDSA rehabilitation “uses high-grade Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) reinforced with eco-friendly fibers like bagasse or coconut coir, runway-grade specifications, computer-guided laser paving, high-density polyethylene drainage pipes, and reinforced concrete reblocking to ensure long-term road durability.”

Between the high-quality product promised by the DPWH and its implementation, something must have gotten lost in translation.

Last Sunday night, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon let loose expletives as he inspected the potholes that have formed along the newly rehabilitated EDSA Busway southbound near Buendia Avenue in Makati.

The potholes formed after several days of heavy downpour induced by the southwest monsoon and two tropical cyclones.

Dizon observed that the area is located at the lowest point of EDSA, which happens to lack drainage. Busway barriers also contributed to the accumulation of water, which led to the formation of the potholes, he noted.

Still, how can the newly rehabilitated pavement disintegrate after just a few days of heavy rain?

Isn’t SMA supposed to offer “superior rut resistance,” as described by the DPWH itself? The rehabilitation is also supposed to use “reinforced concrete reblocking,” meaning it uses “high-strength poured or precast concrete for base repairs to fix structural integrity failures and stop frequent pothole creation.”

Pavement that melts in the rain has long been a feature of the road network in Metro Manila. Many years before the corruption scandal involving flood control and other infrastructure projects erupted, the World Bank had already pointed out that the quality of roads in a country is a good indicator of the level of corruption in the public sector. Roads, which are difficult to audit for compliance with project specifications, are favorite sources of corruption, World Bank studies noted.

Metro Manila roads are notorious for disintegrating quickly during downpours, almost as if they are designed not to last, so that repairs can be carried out regularly. Even perfectly good pavement is routinely dug up and repaired, apparently for kickback collection. Such projects used to feature the names and images of politicians claiming credit, as if the funds came from their own pockets.

A furious Dizon said that when the weather improves, the private contractor of the EDSA Busway rehabilitation will be ordered to patch up the potholes at no cost to the government.

He should ensure that all those glowing descriptions about high-grade pavement will actually be followed.