"Humihingi ako ng pasensya to the people of the city that you are suffering especially sa traffic” (I am sorry that you are suffering especially with the traffic), director Jerome dela Rosa said.
Dela Rosa said he would like Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to know that “we are doing our best. We are not neglecting our duties to (ensure) the immediate construction of the bridge."
Dela Rosa said DPWH has issued to the contractor a notice to proceed, ordering them to start the project between January 4 and 14. The project is scheduled to be finished within 210 days or on or before August 14 this year.
He said they will do their best to finish the project before its deadline.
Rep. Prospero Nograles and other city officials have constantly been calling him to follow up on the bridge's construction, he said.
Dela Rosa said the DPWH has allocated P216 million for the project but the amount awarded to the contractor is only P206 million.
Dela Rosa said the remaining P10 million will be used for overhead expenses.
He said the reason why the re-building of the bridge has been delayed is because the barge carrying the materials does not have a place to dock. He said they initially thought of docking at the Agro Industrial Institute and the contractor, Ciriaco Construction, even paid the Agro owner.
Tests conducted in the area, however, showed that Bangkerohan River is heavily silted, making it impossible for the barge to pass. Dredging the river is not only costly, it is also “not wise” because it is prone to flash floods and floods bring in silt, he said.
After looking at other docking sites, the DPWH and the contractor agreed to dock the barge at the Km. 11 pier in Sasa, the same pier used by the barges ferrying passengers and cargo to Samal. (MindaNews)
