CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways-Region 10 (Northern Mindanao) said that the proposed project to make the historic Ysalina Bridge a four-lane structure is not yet final as it is still in its initial stage.
DPWH-10 Information Officer Roshelle Novie Cabrido said there are other options aside from the proposed four lanes as the agency wants to take into consideration the appeal raised by groups fighting for the bridge’s preservation.
YSALINA Bridge in Cagayan de Oro City. (Franck Dick Rosete)
The agency has recommended the redevelopment of the bridge because it is not as strong as before due to the deformation of some parts and noticeable holes.
Aside from that, the bridge has, accordingly, surpassed its lifespan, said Engr. Algene Galgo of the DPWH-10 during a committee hearing of the city council public works committee on September 20.
Cabrido said the suggestion to make the Ysalina Bridge a four-lane structure came from the city government.
“Kay mao lagi na nakita nila nga widened na pud ang approaching nga dalan, why not i-widened na pud ang bridge (it’s because they saw that the approaching lanes were already widened, why not widen the bridge as well),” Cabrido said on Wednesday, October 18.
The DPWH-10 information officer added that the Ysalina Bridge has become thin due to corrosion and retrofitting does not have the same quality as a newly constructed bridge. Hence, there is an option to reconstruct the bridge with new materials.
Cabrido said since they are taking the concerns raised by the stakeholders into consideration, one of the options is to do nothing with the bridge, but it can only be used for pedestrians, and push for the construction of a new one, but in a different location.
“Because in the normal traffic flow there, based on the analysis, it’s no longer safe,” Cabrido said, adding that the city government has the final say on what to do with the bridge.
On August 18, the Kagay-an Heritage Advocates, the group fighting for the bridge’s preservation, submitted a petition to the City Mayor’s Office opposing the proposed destruction and urging the city government to put a parallel bridge beside instead.
Read: https://mb.com.ph/2023/8/19/cagayan-de-oro-heritage-advocates-oppose-ysalina-bridge-destruction)
A meeting, to be attended by the group, the city government, and different stakeholders to present the defects identified by the DPWH-10 to be able to justify the need to redevelop the Ysalina Bridge, had been set.
But Cabrido said it was cancelled by City Administrator Roy Hilario Raagas because Councilor John Michael Seno, chairman of the city council public works committee, was unavailable. Raagas was sought for clarification about the cancellation but he has yet to reply.
Seno said that he is unaware that the four-lane bridge proposal was suggested by the city government.
During the September 20 committee meeting, Raul Ilogon of the Kagay-an Heritage Advocates challenged the DPWH-10 to submit the bridge’s structural analysis as his group is planning to compare it with the analysis made by their partner structural engineers for fairness.
Seno asked the DPWH to submit a copy of the analysis to his committee before they could make a stand.
READ: https://mb.com.ph/2023/9/20/dpwh-10-challenged-to-prove-iconic-cagayan-de-oro-bridge-weakening)
The City Historical Commission (CHC), an advisory body to the city mayor and the city council concerning history and museums, asked for project details from DPWH-10 to find out the reasons why they need to redevelop the Ysalina Bridge.
CHC Chairperson Nicolas Aca said that not all members agreed to the proposal. But they will raise their other concerns once the upcoming meeting is conducted, he said.
Cabrido said if the city government is available, the meeting can be conducted before the end of this year, as the DPWH-10 is ready to present the bridge’s structural analysis.