MANILA, Philippines – Here's good news for the riding public in Manila: restoration work on the Ayala Bridge have been completed.
Jerick Casiño, deputy project manager of Frey Fil Corporation said the bridge repairs are done, including the construction of the “wall enclosure” that will prevent informal settlers from living under the structure.
Casiño said that as of December 21, construction on the bridge had been completed and workers were just dismantling platforms as part of the clean-up.
Frey Fil Corporation and EEI Corporation, the contractors hired to retrofit the structure, built a wall enclosure made up of hollow blocks around the piers and abutments of the bridge.
As a result, informal settlers "will no longer have access to the mechanical features of the bridge," Casiño said, adding that they would have to destroy the wall to gain access.
The mechanical features refer to the "piers and abutments" of the bridge where new dampers and bearing pads were installed.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the project contractors decided to seal the bridge to protect it from damage.
“We can't conduct an inspection under the bridge if there are people living there,” DPWH officer for the National Capital Region Ric de Vera said.
Bridge access
De Vera however warned that informal settlers could still have access to the structure if they used the manhole at the top of the bridge.
“We can enter through the manhole to check on the bridge. It was put up for maintenance purposes,” he said.
The wall enclosure was put up precisely to protect the bridge from informal settlers. Otherwise, personnel might have to return to check on the structure every now and then, De Vera said.
“The bridge has one year warranty so they have to come back for inspection,” he added. – Rappler.com