MANILA -- Finishing works of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the Estrella Pantaleon Bridge Project across Pasig River are in full swing and set to be completed towards the end of July. 

Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark A. Villar said that although the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted construction activity of various flagship infrastructure projects like Estrella Pantaleon Bridge, the DPWH-Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Team geared up to take up this challenge by keeping focus on the importance of delivering completion and opening this bridge project this early month of the third quarter. 

In his report to Secretary Villar, Undersecretary for UPMO Operations Emil K. Sadain said that complete layers of asphalt concrete base, binder and wearing course on the 146 meters main bridge and 66 meters Makati approach bridge are almost done. 

Installed successively on main and approach bridge using paving and compaction equipment,  the wearing course or the uppermost layer will provide an even profile for the comfort of motorists while providing enough texture to ensure minimum and safe skid resistance, explained Undersecretary Sadain.

Having put up the upper layer, bridge  expansion joints are now being installed to allow for continuous traffic between the bridge and the interconnecting abutment structures. 

This expansion joints is designed to adjust the bridge length accommodating movement or deformation by external loads, shrinkage, or temperature variations

Among the completed ancillary works for the bridge project with V-shape piers includes protective barriers and railings along both sides of the bridge, storm water drainage structure, and lightings.

Meanwhile, Project Director Benjamin A. Bautista and Project Manager Melchor Kabiling of the UPMO Roads Management Cluster are keeping an eye on the on-going paving works for the 50.5 meters approach road on Estrella Street, Makati City and  243.96 meters approach road at Barangka Drive connected to Pantaleon Street in Mandaluyong City which are being accelerated by successively placing complete layer packages.

The layers of approach road are consists of base course or the foundation made of different aggregate rocks to support the top layers of the pavement; cement-treated base or mixture of aggregates with amounts of portland cement that hardens after compaction and curing to form a strong, durable, frost-resistant paving material; asphalt concrete base or asphalt treated base that acts as waterproof barrier to prevent fines infiltration into the subgrade and pavement structure; finally the binder and wearing course. 

The P1.46-billion bridge project will have four lanes and will be a 506.46-meter pre-stressed concrete rigid frame bridge with corrugated steel webs, replacing the temporary two-lane box truss bridge made of modular steel components dismantled in 2019. 

The bridge project is one of two grant bridges from China — the other one is Binondo-Intramuros Bridge. (DPWH)