6 hurt after Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge collapses

Six people were hurt after a portion of the Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge in Isabela collapsed on 27 February.

In a statement on Friday, 28 February, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region II said a portion of the Arch Bridge of Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge collapsed at around 8:00 PM when a dump truck carrying boulders with a calculated approximate gross vehicle weight of around 102 tons passed on it.

The driver of the 10-wheeler truck loaded with rocks and his assistant were nowhere to be found after the incident.

According to the DPWH, the construction of the bridge started on November 2014 and was completed on 1 February with a total cost of P1,225,537,087.92.

The bridge, which connects the town of Cabagan to Santa Maria in Isabela province, was supposed to open in 2019 but was delayed by several years allegedly due to design defects.

The DPWH said further analysis on the cause of failure is still on-going and it has requested experts from the Bureau of Design and Bureau of Construction in the Central Office to conduct further evaluation and assessment.

Motorists were advised to take precautions. Traffic was rerouted to alternative roads to prevent congestion.