ILOILO CITY, Philippines – First, the Ungka flyover in Iloilo was noticed to be sinking after it was opened to site visitors. Then, given the continued repairs, the price of your complete undertaking is about to shoot as much as practically P1 billion.
The Division of Public Works and Highways Western Visayas (DPWH-6) stated it had awarded the contract for Part 2 of the flyover’s rectification works to the Worldwide Builders Company (IBC), with civil works set to start in October.
This price of the development was at P680 million, however P13.5 million was wanted for a third-party investigation, and P96 million for Part 1 of the repairs. Now, the second part of the repairs has a finances of P200 million, bringing the whole price of the undertaking to P989.5 million.
The IBC is an Iloilo-based building agency that dealt with the unique building of the Ungka flyover.
Amid criticisms from the general public, DPWH-6 Director Sanny Boy Oropel stated IBC was the “most certified” contractor.
“Of all of the buildings IBC has undertaken, we now have not noticed any issues with them as a result of the issue with the flyover was with the plan,” he stated.
The detailed engineering design (DED) for the Ungka flyover was made by the United Know-how Consolidated Partnership (UTCP).
A 3rd-party investigation of the Abinales Associates Engineers + Consultants additionally confirmed that UTCP’s design prompted the vertical displacements in a number of piers of the flyover.
Oropel additionally maintained that DPWH-6 can’t be blamed for the defects since they had been simply implementing UTCP’s permitted plans.
“We’re very assured of the steps that we’re taking, and allow us to give DPWH-6 the prospect as a result of we is not going to enable our status to be tarnished simply due to the Ungka flyover,” he added.
4-lane use beginning December 25
“We are going to give it as a Christmas present,” stated Oropel as he introduced that every one 4 lanes of the Ungka flyover shall be opened for vehicular site visitors on December 25, 2024.
Oropel emphasised that opening the flyover on Christmas Day can also be in anticipation of the inflow of vacationers for the Dinagyang Pageant in January.
“All the selections that we made for the Ungka flyover had been based mostly on scientific overview and software so we might present that the construction could be open to full capability to site visitors,” he stated. He famous that they’d conduct an prolonged steady monitoring to make sure the flyover’s structural integrity.
Since September 2023, solely the 2 inside lanes of the four-lane flyover have been open to gentle automobiles, to facilitate ongoing repairs and cut back site visitors congestion within the space.
The flyover was initially opened to site visitors in September 2022, however was closed two weeks later on account of confirmed sinking of the construction.
Oropel added that Part 1 of the repairs, which began in January 2024, had reached 85% completion as of September. This part entails jet grouting for pier 1, 2, 3, 11,12, 13,14, 15, 16 and a part of the abutment resulting in the Iloilo Worldwide Airport.
In the meantime, Part 2 will use the identical process for the remaining piers, portion of abutment going to the airport, and entire of abutment resulting in Iloilo Metropolis.
In jet grouting, the contractor will inject a high-pressure grout combination into the bottom to stabilize the soil and improve its load-bearing capability.
The IBC may even take away the prevailing carrying floor, apply the Geofoam System to right the flyover’s vertical design profile, and set up steel railings and claddings.
One other flyover: P15.4 million for the research of Aganan infra
Within the close by Aganan flyover, which prices P802 million and is on the identical highway part because the Ungka flyover, an extra P15.4 million shall be spent for the geotechnical investigation of its design.
Oropel stated they’d awarded the contract to the Abinales Associates Engineers + Consultants because the third-party marketing consultant.
“Due to some observations made within the Ungka flyover, we wish to be sure that the Aganan flyover is not going to have the identical destiny,” Oropel stated, noting that the consultancy agency had begun its research.
The research goals to reconcile the disparate outcomes of soil take a look at outcomes between the DPWH-6 and the UTCP, the agency that additionally made the DED of the flyover.
UTCP’s assessments indicated a basis depth of 24 meters, whereas DPWH-6’s assessments steered a depth of 54 meters for stability.
The Aganan flyover was already 70% full when its building was suspended in December 2022. – Rappler.com
Rjay Zuriaga Castor is a 2024 Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow. He’s a reporter for The Every day Guardian, an Iloilo-based newspaper.
