Two bridges worth P74.7 million completed in recent months have made travel easier and safer for residents of remote villages in Negros Occidental’s E.B. Magalona town, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways in Western Visayas (DPWH-6).
Connecting communities across the Malogo River, these projects, which were completed in January and April this year, include the P24.7-million construction of Sitio Calaptan Bridge and the P50-million reconstruction of the Nanca-Cudangdang Bridge.
In a statement yesterday, DPWH-6 regional director Nerie Bueno said the two-lane Sitio Calaptan Bridge now allows residents of barangays Canlusong and San Isidro to safely cross the river after previously using only an old overflow bridge.
Barangay Canlusong, located some 25 kilometers from the town proper, is considered the farthest village in the northern Negros municipality.
“The new bridge allows motorists and passengers to reach Barangay Canlusong, passing through Barangay San Isidro, leading to various communities in the uplands of E.B. Magalona. This makes travel from far-flung areas to the town proper now easier and more comfortable,” Bueno added.
Officer-in-charge district Engineer Dene Baldonado, Jr. of the Negros Occidental 1st District Engineering Office said that since the Malogo overflow bridge was already dilapidated, its condition had caused traffic problems during heavy rains and posed great danger, especially for heavily loaded trucks.
“[The] Malogo River is mostly calm but still poses a hazard during the rainy season whenever the river suddenly shifts from low discharge to raging currents,” he said.
Earlier, the Negros Occidental 1st District Engineering Office also completed the reconstruction of the Nanca-Cudangdang Bridge, which reconnected four villages with some 11,000 residents, severely hit and isolated by Typhoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan) in 2013.
These are the barangays of Nanca and Cudangdang, and the adjacent barangays of Tanza and Tabigue.
Bueno said the bridge provides direct access for sugarcane-hauling trucks from these villages to the neighboring Victorias City, thereby revitalizing economic opportunities for the municipality.
“The new bridge provides a safer and faster mode of transport when crossing the Malogo River. Previously, it was done through the use of a small barge which puts passengers at risk during heavy rains or typhoons,” Bueno said. (PNA)