Cracks in the foundation

Weeks ago, it was announced that Guadalupe Bridge connecting the cities of Makati and Mandaluyong would be closed for 17 months for a long-overdue rehabilitation.

Naturally, the announcement had motorists in a tizzy, especially those who use that part of EDSA every day. (Now this collective trepidation should give transport officials a clue as to how the closure of EDSA for a rebuild would pan out.)

A fellow editor who lives in Mandaluyong is now wondering when this plan would actually start. He is afraid the bridge might collapse and cause harm, so repairs should begin pronto.

Yet he dreads the traffic it will surely cause and the unfamiliar alternate routes that may get Waze itself confused, with properly sized and situated road signs not being a forte of our traffic managers.

Something as horrendous as crazy traffic is no match for the possibility of a horrific tragedy should nothing be done about the decrepit state of infrastructure around the country.

It was announced last year that October 2025 has been set for the Guadalupe Bridge rehabilitation, and while property investors are preparing for the expected spike in demand for lodgings in Makati and Taguig before it commences, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) must be preparing as well for the traffic disruption.

In a news report last year, the MMDA said an inspection had shown that parts of the bridge were “vulnerable to seismic activity.” The Japan International Cooperation Agency said the bridge bore “structural cracks” and pointed out its proximity to the West Valley Fault.

The need for rehabilitation is clear — Guadalupe Bridge was built from 1962 to 1966. It is old and oft-used. Kudos to those who built the structure — it’s obviously far more solid than that billion-peso bridge that collapsed in Isabela last February. The high-traffic metro cannot afford such a catastrophe.

Corruption is seen as a possible reason for the collapse of the third and newest span of the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge. It caused injuries to six persons, including a child. This could be a mild (forgive the word) example of how shortchanging or substandard work can cause harm, even death. Those useless bollards at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport come to mind.

The problem with the San Juanico Bridge linking Samar and Leyte is another telling manifestation of a serious lack of direction from top to bottom of our government. It’s a wonder how anything concrete can be done when coordination seems defective and priorities appear skewed.

Concerned leaders are calling for quicker action and better planning from the national agencies concerned with transportation, as a safe and efficient transport system is key to a thriving economy.

So, it is correct to regard the series of road mishaps and deadly transport-related accidents as much a reminder as they are warnings. Cracks in structural foundations are the physical evidence of our leaders’ neglect, mismanagement and inadequacy.

If these are not addressed, if we persist in pretending that nothing is wrong or refusing to do anything about the growing rot in our system, our mindsets, our values — it will be our whole nation that just might collapse, from the inside out.