The Philippine Coast Guard completed a pontoon or floating bridge over the Bantilan River to reconnect Barangay Bantilan in Sariaya, Quezon to Barangay Tipas, San Juan, Batangas on Tuesday, Nov. 29.
The pontoon bridge is a temporary access for the two barangays as the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) undertakes the construction of a concrete bridge to replace the Bantilan Bridge that collapsed during severe tropical storm ‘’Paeng’’ on Oct. 29.
The PCG started installing the bridge on Monday, Nov. 28.
Commodore Inocencio Rosario Jr., PCG-Southern Tagalog commander, said the pontoon bridge can safely accommodate 10 individuals crossing simultaneously.
In a simple ceremony on Monday, Mayors Ildebrando Salud of San Juan and Marcelo Gayeta of Sariaya thanked the PCG for installing the pontoon bridge which is four meters wide, 100 meters long, and made of fiberglass.
The collapse of the Bantilan Bridge hampered transport of goods but with the pontoon bridge, the two local chief executives said residents will now have easy access between the two municipalities.
Residents had been using makeshift boats to cross the Bantilan River but local authorities stopped these crossings after one boat carrying four passengers capsized on Nov. 7.