Manila’s truck ban does not only pose a threat to the economy but also endangers the structural integrity of road infrastructure, including bridges.
During a panel discussion at the Supply Chain Management Association of the Philippines’ CEO CSCO (Chief Supply Chain Officer) Forum on September 4, Public Works Assistant Secretary Ma. Catalina Cabral noted that bridges, such as the Del Pan Bridge in the Manila port area connecting North and South Harbors, are “not designed to carry dead load.”
When trucks or other vehicles are stuck in traffic waiting idly by, they become “dangerous” to the stability of bridges, said Cabral, herself an engineer.
That is why, Cabral said, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is constantly inspecting bridges and retrofitting them to ensure they are safe for motorists.
Reclassification into national roads
In a related development, the official said the department is prioritizing the rehabilitation of roads leading to the country’s ports and airports.
DPWH is also looking at reclassifying access roads into national roads so they can be “properly maintained by the national government.”
Cabral pointed out that most access roads to ports and airports are local roads, such as the one leading to Clark International Airport.
The responsibility for the upkeep of access roads lies with local government units (LGUs), she said, but that LGUs have sometimes not been up to task due to insufficient internal revenue allotment.
Of the country’s total road network, only 32,000 kilometers, or roughly 15% of the total, are classified as national roads.
Recognizing that the condition of local roads lags behind national roads, their reclassification into national roads will allow the government, through DPWH, to take over their maintenance.
Cabral said DPWH intends to upgrade all national roads, and confirmed that the department has been given a budget of P300 billion for 2015, which is on top of the P26 billion in savings it generated since 2010 that can also be used to build more roads, bridges and flood-control infrastructure.
DPWH has also partnered with the Department of Transportation and Communications, Department of Tourism, and Department of Agriculture to respectively identify access roads to ports and airports and road linkages that require rehabilitation or reclassification; pinpoint roads leading to tourist sites; and identify farm-to-market roads requiring improvement.
Cabral noted that DPWH is not just focusing on Metro Manila but has completed, with the help of Japan International Cooperation Agency, a study on Mindanao’s logistics network that has identified 34 vital road networks in the region. Of the 34 road networks, the repair of 24 will be funded by DPWH’s 2015 budget at a cost of P9 billion. — Roumina Pablo
Image courtesy of Idea go at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
