Over 70 Central Visayas bridges rated poor to bad — DILG

CEBU, Philippines — Over 70 bridges in Central Visayas have been assessed as being in poor to bad condition, based on the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) Local Roads and Bridges Inventory (LRBI).

Based on DILG’s LRBI data, Region-7 has a total of 860 bridges. Most are made of concrete, with some made of steel. Of the concrete bridges, 40 are rated poor and 24 are in bad condition. An additional 178 are in fair condition, while the majority are in good shape.

Among these structures, several key bridges across Cebu have already drawn concern due to their deteriorating condition.

In Cebu City, the Sanciangko Bridge was the only one among 40 permanent concrete bridges assessed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to be in bad condition as of October 16, 2024. Only three others were rated “good,” while the rest were deemed “fair.”

In the First District, most bridges were assessed to be in either good or fair condition, though the Mananga Bridge 1 in Tabunok recently barred 10-wheeler trucks due to defective bearing pads.

Cebu’s Second District recorded one bridge in bad condition—the Manlapay Bridge—and four others in poor condition: the Hagdan 1, Doong, Luka 1, and Tapon bridges.

Under the Third District Engineering Office, the Bonbon concrete bridge was also flagged for being in poor condition. In the Fourth District, both the Poblacion Tabuelan concrete bridge and Cantacoyan steel bridge were rated as poor, while the Looc and Panalipan bridges were similarly assessed under the same district.

The two major bridges linking Mandaue and Mactan Island—the steel Mandaue-Mactan First Bridge and the concrete Marcelo Fernan Bridge—were assessed by the DPWH last year to be in poor condition. Both fall under the Cebu Sixth District Engineering Office. Also under this jurisdiction, the Pitogo Bridge and the Mandaue concrete flyover were rated poor.

In the Seventh District, the Lepaspi concrete bridge and Boyawan steel bridge were likewise assessed as being in poor condition.

Steel bridges in the region are also showing signs of decline, with seven listed in poor condition and two in bad condition. Bailey bridges—a type of portable, pre-fabricated truss bridge—also appear in the inventory, with four assessed as poor, six in bad condition, and one without data.

Timber or wood-type bridges are among the most compromised, with seven out of 18 in bad condition and three in poor condition. One wood bridge has no condition data. Moreover, eight other unclassified bridges have been tagged as either poor or bad.

Further, the DILG has encouraged stakeholders and policy-makers to consult its LRBI database to access valuable information on the state of local roads and bridges nationwide.

“The LRBI, an online database of the status and condition of provincial, city, municipal and barangay roads, and bridges, is a valuable resource for all sectors involved in infrastructure development, from government to engineering and urban planning,” the agency said, adding that the LRBI can be accessed via lrbi.dilg.gov.ph.

According to the DILG, the LRBI is an essential tool for decision-makers, especially for assessing road and bridge conditions at the local level. Policymakers are also expected to use LRBI data to prioritize infrastructure projects based on actual site assessments.

As of December 31, 2024, the LRBI featured assessments of 167,719.36 kilometers of local roads and 17,065 bridges across the country’s 17 regions, excluding the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The DILG noted that the LRBI was previously recognized under the Philippine Statistics Authority’s System of Designated Statistics due to its value as a planning and policy formulation tool.

Earlier, the DILG, through a memorandum, urged local government units (LGUs) to use the Local Roads and Bridge Inventory and Condition Survey as a reference to ensure that road and bridge data reflect actual conditions.

LGUs were also instructed to regularly update and upload progress reports through the Road and Bridge Information System, the data repository for the LRBI.

However, a check by The Freeman on the LRBI as of press time revealed that available data is limited—bridge data is only viewable by region, and road data for Central Visayas covers only two provinces, not specific LGUs. — (FREEMAN)