Isolated no more.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has completed the emergency construction of temporary bridge to facilitate connectivity following Typhoon “Rosita” washed out the 14 meters Lunas Bridge along Junction Talubin-Barlig-Natonin-Paracelis Road in Barlig, Mountain Province.
Started on November 7, 2018, the temporary bridge with 10 tons load capacity involves the construction of stone masonry slope protection at both sides of abutments; clearing of debris, boulders, and obstructions; additional protection and armor at the backwall of the existing abutments; and repair of concrete abutment using reinforced concrete.
The temporary bridge, whose construction was facilitated by the maintenance crew of DPWH Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Mountain Province First & Second District Engineering Offices and assisted by private contractors, is estimated to be completed by December 5, 2018 but works were finished ahead and opened November 23, 2018.
DPWH CAR Director Tiburcio Canlas said that while it may take months to perhaps even a year for those people affected by Typhoon “Rosita” in Mountain Province to feel that things are back to “normal”, the opening of this temporary bridge has restored connectivity along the Junction Talubin-Barlig-Natonin-Paracelis Road.
According to District Engineer Rustom Martinez of DPWH Mountain Province Second District Engineering Office, other than the washed-out reinforced concrete deck girder-type Lunas Bridge at K0423+900 during the height of Typhoon “Rosita” on October 30, 2018, more or less 30 major land slides and road slips/cuts were recorded at the 78-kilometers Junction Talubin-Barlig-Natonin-Paracelis Road within the area of jurisdiction of the Second District Engineering Office.
Situated at KO442+200 of this roadline, the DPWH Mountain Province Second District Engineering Office in Sitio Hakrang, Banawel, in the municipality of Natonin, Mountain Province was crashed, carried away and totally buried by the mudslides and boulders as big as a classroom.
Responding to the instruction of Secretary Mark Villar and Senior Undersecretary Rafael Yabut to immediately assist the Mountain Province Second District Engineering Office get through the wrath of this storm, joint operatives from nearby DPWH District Engineering Offices from CAR drew additional strength from the mobilized team of Region 1 Director Ronnel Tan, Region 2 Director Melanio Briosos, DPWH Manila’s Bureau of Equipment, Red Cross, local government units and private contractors to simultaneously began on October 31, 2018 the punching/clearing of the landslide-ridden road from Paracelis to Natonin for the heavy equipment and search and rescue volunteers to reach the so-called Ground Zero on November 2, 2018.
Director Canlas described the successful massive clearing works along the affected road network and the early completion of the emergency construction of temporary bridge as tremendous sense of DPWH compassion and commitment to public service to get through this challenge.