COLLAPSED. The Marabong Bridge in Burauen, Leyte hours after it was damaged by Tropical Storm Paeng on Oct. 28, 2022. The Department of Public Works and Highways has assured the immediate repair of the bridge. (Photo courtesy of Burauen local government unit)
TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways has assured the immediate repair of Marabong Bridge in Burauen, Leyte which collapsed due to massive flooding caused by Tropical Storm Paeng.
DPWH Eastern Visayas chief Edgar Tabacon on Wednesday asked their field office in Leyte’s second district to come up with a cost estimate for the temporary restoration of the bridge, heeding the directive of Secretary Manuel Bonoan to make the bridge passable.
Currently, the bridge that links the towns of Burauen and La Paz in central Leyte is not passable to all types of vehicles.
The road also leads to Mahagnao Volcano Natural Park, a tourist destination in the province.
Motorists have to take the longer Burauen-Julita-Dulag-Mayorga-La Paz road as an alternative.
“Immediate repair of the Marabong bridge is our top priority. This bridge brings convenience to the people especially that going to La Paz from Burauen was just 20-minutes away. This is why we need to make sure that this bridge becomes open to traffic the soonest,” Tabacon said in a statement.
The DPWH regional office will request a Quick Response Fund from the central office to finance the immediate repair.
Among the options to make the bridge passable include the construction of a temporary bridge over a bridge, the jacking of girders to attain the original alignment of the bridge, and providing mitigating structures like gabions mattresses around the piers.
Tabacon said the funding request would be immediately submitted and works on temporary restoration will start in the succeeding weeks.
During the onslaught of Tropical Storm Paeng on October 28, Marabong Bridge was damaged when its foundation of piers 3 and 4 was scoured resulting in its collapse.
Built in 1983, the 116-meter bridge is within the Jaro-Dagami-Burauen-La Paz Road, a road network that connects four towns in Leyte province. (PNA)
