The Department of Public Works and Highways is aiming to finish the permanent rehabilitation of the damaged F. Manalo Bridge in Pasig City within one and a half years, citing right of way acquisition as one of the main concerns, its secretary Vince Dizon said on Tuesday.
The bridge was temporarily closed after being hit by barges during the onslaught of Typhoon Carina in 2024. Dizon said that its temporary reconstruction was shouldered by the Japanese contractor, which lasted for a year.
Dizon also said that Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto asked the agency to fasttrack the permanent construction of the bridge. With this, Dizon said that it will be widened from two lanes to four lanes.
‘That is our commitment to Pasig City and Quezon City and to the people of Pasig and QC. Hopefully, we finish this in one year, one and a half years,’ Dizon told reporters in an interview as he and Sotto inspected the bridge.
Dizon shared that the agency is facing problems with right of way acquisition of 100 meters on the part of Quezon City. He added that while the agency has already started addressing the problem, the owner of the land is contesting the acquisition.
‘We’ll have to either negotiate but if they don’t really want to, we’ll have no choice but to expropriate,’ Dizon added.
He also shared that the government will try to source for additional funding of P700 million for the completion of the bridge from the 2026 or 2027 budget.
Start of rainy season
Dizon also said that the construction of a temporary bridge will not bring much adverse effects to motorists and residents at the start of the rainy season. However, he said that the current state of the bridge limits the moving capacity from Pasig City to Quezon City.
‘We will not allow this bridge to be closed. Like I said, this should only be closed when there are fewer people in Metro Manila, [like during] Holy Week, Christmas. This should not be closed on ordinary days,’ he expressed.
The Pasig City Public Information Office earlier announced the temporary closure of the bridge from April 17-20 for maintenance works, speed humps replacement, repair of vertical clearance barrier, and installation of rubber plates.