DPWH preparing to rebuild Cabagan-Sta. Maria bridge

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is preparing to rebuild the collapsed Cabagan-Sta. Maria bridge in Isabela province.

According to DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, the DPWH has finalized its investigation and are rendering the completion of the department’s report which include accounts from individuals involved in the bridge’s construction.

“We have already completed our technical investigations. At this point in time, we will be preparing the completion of the reports, and we will need to ask for the participation of those we believe are involved in the construction of that bridge,” he said in a Palace briefing.

Bonoan noted that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed the DPWH to plan for the possible rebuilding of the bridge while wrapping up the investigation of how it collapsed.

“The President’s order is actually that while we are doing this, let’s move forward and look at how we are going to reconstruct or rebuild the bridge in the shortest possible time, and that is our focus right now, on how we are going to rebuild it as quickly as possible,” the DPWH chief said.

Bonoan said the DPWH is looking at the overall structural integrity of the bridge before beginning reconstruction on the structure as the collapse brought down a large segment of the bridge.

“We are looking into, well, the overall structural integrity of the bridge now and whatever we need to do in order to fix everything,” he said.

On 27 February, a dump truck carrying boulders passed through Cabagan-Sta. Maria bridge, halfway through the bridge, the structure collapsed injuring six individuals as well as crushing two SUVs and one scooter bike.

The bridge was opened to the public in January and cost P1.2 billion.

It also underwent retrofitting in 2023 to strengthen the structure, according to the updated design code of the DPWH.

Marcos, earlier, had ordered an investigation on the collapsed bridge and personally visited the crash site.