Pangasinan: The destroyed footbridge connecting Barangay San Juan here and neighboring southern villages of Burgos town to Barangay Bangan Oda during Typhoon Emong last year will be replaced with a concrete bridge, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon said Monday. "This is critical because this bridge doesn't just connect two barangays, it connects two towns -- the town of Agno, and the town of Burgos. So, I really intended to come here because, you know, these hanging bridges, these are overlooked. Of course, DPWH is focused on the streets, on the big bridges," Dizon said in an interview during his second inspection visit to Pangasinan on Monday.
According to Philippines News Agency, Dizon learned from the residents of Barangay San Juan that they cross the Balincaguing River through boats during the rainy season when the temporary footbridge made of bamboo was washed out due to high water level or endure a 30 to 45-minute travel by land via Burgos town to Agno's town proper. "Then, they made this (referring to the temporary footbridge) that we know, when the rain comes, this will be gone automatically. It's still dangerous for the children. So, that's why I went here. Before I came here, I asked for a design for a permanent bridge. So, we will construct a permanent bridge, and not a hanging bridge," he said.
He added the permanent bridge with an estimated budget of around PHP30 million would have two columns on the river, and the barangay officials requested a wider width of the bridge to accommodate vehicles, not just motorcycles, for the transport of agricultural products as well. "Initially, pedestrians and up to tricycle only. But now, we'll see if we can improve it a little bit. Even if it's a one-way, the four-wheel can pass by. Because it can't be too big. Because the river and our environment might be damaged. So, this can't be too big. But at the very least, one vehicle can pass by, a tricycle can pass by, a motorcycle can pass by, and of course, the pedestrian," he said.
Dizon said the funding would come from calamity funds and they target to start construction this year. "The instruction is to start construction this year. They won't wait for the next year. Since what happened last year is it was destroyed because of the typhoon, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that we really need to fix these bridges. So, that's what we will do. So, I think there won't be any problem with the fund. The President said, if there's a need for a fund, especially for these critical bridges, we can find a fund," he added.
Agno town Mayor John Celeste thanked the national government, saying it would be very beneficial to the residents. The Lingayen Bypass Road project is currently 88 percent complete and has been ongoing since 2018. Once completed, it will reduce travel time between Baay, Lingayen and Biec, Binmaley from 22 minutes to seven minutes and benefit around 18,000 motorists daily.
The Aplaya Floodgate is part of a Pumping Station Project at Lingayen-Binmaley, Pangasinan. Once completed, it will mitigate flooding in low-lying areas in the coastal barangays of Lingayen-Binmaley.
