DPWH: Don’t blame us for Tullahan Bridge problems

An official of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) yesterday said they have done temporary repairs at the Tullahan Bridge, which connect the cities of Malabon and Valenzuela, to ease the traffic buildup in the area.

DPWH project engineer Eduardo Santos said yesterday that they are currently putting asphalt overlay on potholes to smoothen the roadway for motorists. “We are currently taking palliative measures on the approaches. There are no cracks on the bridge,” he said.

It was earlier reported that the asphalt overlay in the area is disintegrating and that it might have contributed to the traffic jams in the vicinity of the 50-meter Tullahan Bridge, but Santos said they are not to blame.

During yesterday’s site inspection, they saw that the Maynilad Water Services Inc. is decommissioning some of its pipelines. MWSI reportedly occupies two of the four lanes of the 138-meter Malabon-side approach of the bridge, causing heavy traffic in the area.

“There is a traffic bottleneck and the tail end of the traffic is already reaching EDSA. The length of the traffic is about two to three kilometers. This has inconvenienced the public,” Santos said.

He added that an average of 49,000 vehicles, many of which are container vans and trucks, use the bridge every day. The approach on the Valenzuela side of the bridge measures 150 meters.

There were also news reports blaming the R.C. Ramos Construction Company for failing to sufficiently undertake the project. But Santos said they are barking up the wrong tree since R.C. Ramos only built the bridge proper while the approaches were handled by Ferdstar Construction.