Dagupan-San Fabian Bridge’s Phase 1 Over in January 2015

                                            But DPWH still looks for Funds in Phase 2

                

                                                              By Mortz C. Ortigoza

BRIDGE: 3rd from Left: District Engineer Rodolfo Dion,
chief of the Pangasinan 2nd District Engineering Office

DAGUPAN CITY – The construction of the substructure of the bridge that becomes a perennial bane to motorists located at the border of this city and San Fabian town will be finished at the end of January next year.

District Engineer Rodolfo Dion, chief of the Pangasinan 2nd District Engineering Office, said the private contractor commissioned by the Department of Public Works & Highway to build the Mangalanday Bridge had been preoccupied constructing another project in San Carlos City.

The contractor should be constructing the bridge’s foundation, tapping, and other in a project that has a P40 million appropriation.

Dion said the delay of the Phase 1 or the substructure happened because the machine used for drilling the foundation of the bridge had been used by the private contractor’s Rod Tech in a project in San Carlos City.

Rod Tech is owned by Kenneth Tan.

“By the end of January 31 tapos na namin ang Phase 1”.

The project, as of press time, is more than 65% complete according to Dion.

The bridge is the brunt of complaints by motorists who have to deal with the narrow rough roads and tiny metal platforms provided by the contractor as by pass road.

But Dion said the two metal platforms are sturdy.

He said even the Phase 1 is finished in January next month the bridge is not yet passable to vehicles since Congresswoman Gina de Venecia (4^th District, Pangasinan) still looks for funding of the Phase 2 for the superstructure that would cost the government  another P45 million.

“Oo, January 31. Sa January sa Phase 1 ends contract namin (with Rod Tech). Pero sa Phase 2 wala pa kami pondo”.

After Phase 2 there is still a Phase 3, according to Dion.

He explained the P45 million budgets for Phase 2 do not need deliberation by both Houses of Congress as Congresswoman de Venecia, for one, could tap honchos in the government to intercede with the DPWH to use its savings to bankroll the construction.

“Sa Phase 2 ang scope of work natin diyan ang super structure iyong approaches, railings. Pagkatapos ng Phase 2 hopefully kung maibibigay lahat ng pondo sa Phase 2 matatapos na hindi na tayo aabot ng Phase 3, “he stressed.