Overloaded trucks blamed on bridge collapse

By BRYAN M. AZURA
May 14, 2012

QUINAPONDAN, Eastern Samar  –  The on-going investigation of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPHW) Eastern Samar Engineering Office is looking on the possibility that overloaded trucks as the culprit on the collapse of Quinapondan bridge Tuesday dawn, May 9, this year.

The damaged bridge caused inconvenience to the travelling public as the south coastal road of the province was closed down for around 15 hours. Traffic resumed at around 7:15pm, the same day, after DPWH personnel made immediate repairs on the bridge using steel plates as overpass. “Light vehicles were already allowed to pass through the bridge since evening of May 10,” said District Engineer Ricardo Odita. But huge trucks are still advised to use the Taft-Buray as alternate route.

Quinapondan Bridge is undergoing repair and retrofitting on a contract with Ormoc-based Mac Builders. The project has been reported 40 percent finished as of last month.

Citing accounts of local residents of Quinapondan town, around four 10-wheeler trucks passed by the town at around 3:30 in the morning seemingly on convoy going towards Leyte direction. Minutes after the trucks passed by, a huge sound was heard from the bridge according to eyewitnesses. “The trucks were filled with fine ground materials which looked to us as mines,” said a bystander who asked not to be named.

Mining activities are going on in the municipalities of Salcedo, Guiuan and Gen. Macarthur. Reports had it that tons of mineral ores are being transported to either to Guiuan or Leyte for ship loading.

According to construction workers who were sleeping on the bankhouse located right at the floor of the bridge said that they heard loud crack sounds while huge vehicles were passing the bridge.  This prompted them to run out of the bridge and right after the last truck passed by, a portion of the bridge caved in.

“We are not setting aside the possibility that huge trucks carrying heavy minerals as the ultimate cause of the collapse of the bridge,” Odita said. “We really are helpless in controlling the flow of traffic especially so that heavy vehicles usually pass by the bridge late night or early morning,” he continued.