Only ‘Minor Defects’ for 3 Metro Manila Bridges Following April 22 Earthquake

Three of the 275 bridges in Metro Manila that have been inspected by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) sustained minor defects due to the 6.1 magnitude earthquake that hit Luzon on Monday.

Citing the report of DPWH-NCR, Secretary Mark Villar said Thursday these are Guadalupe Bridge in Makati City with a crack on the girder and the Tinajeros and Tanza Bridges in Malabon City with minor cracks on the railings.

"Guadalupe Bridge is already up for major retrofitting under (the) DPWH Unified Project Management Office, while Tanza Bridge will undergo (the) second stage of inspection. The minor damage on Tinejeros Bridge, on the other hand, does not require immediate repair, as (the) railings do not carry load," he said.

With this, the DPWH secretary announced that all national roads and bridges affected by earthquakes are now accessible to the public.

"The DPWH Quick Response Teams were able to assess, fix, and open various roads, bridges, and other infrastructure that were damaged by the recent earthquakes in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao," Villar said.

He noted that the DPWH Quick Response Teams were deployed to undertake structural assessment and ensure the safety of national roads and public buildings in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, NCR, Eastern Visayas, Surigao del Norte, Davao Occidental, and Davao Oriental.

"As early as Wednesday afternoon, we were able to repair and open (the) Consuelo Bridge in Floridablanca, Pampanga to light vehicles. Assessments of other infrastructure are also being conducted in the entire Central Luzon," Villar added.

DPWH has also opened the East Lateral Mega Dike in Bacolor, the Floridablanca-Consuelo Bridge, and the Sasmuan-Lubao Road.

In Metro Manila, the section of UN Avenue in front of Emilio Aguinaldo College is still cordoned off to one lane to prevent possible impact to passing vehicles on the leaning building.

Following Monday's earthquake, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the town of San Julian in Eastern Samar on On Tuesday. Shortly before noon on Wednesday, two earthquakes--with a magnitude of 4.7 and 4.5--hit Baganga, Davao Oriental and Sarangani, Davao Occidental, respectively.

Roads, bridges and other structures were affected by tremors that hit the three main islands of the country this week.