BORONGAN CITY -- Congresswoman Maria Fe R. Abunda and officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways - Eastern Samar District Engineering Office (DPWH-ESDEO) inspected the ongoing repair of the Nabuangan Bridge in Sulat, Eastern Samar, recently.

The said bridge is 88 meters long with six spans and two lanes and is considered one of the long bridges along Taft-Borongan road.

Assistant District Engineer Domcelio M. Natividad disclosed that the repair works at the Nabuangan Bridge consist of the replacement of slab and approaches amounting to an appropriation of P10 million.

“The advantage of repair or retrofitting of our national bridges is that we restore its standard quality with lesser cost; compared to constructing a new bridge which is costly for an estimated cost of 88 million for Nabuangan Bridge,” said Engr. Natividad.

The assistant head of DPWH-ESDEO said the accredited bridge engineers of the district recommended the repair works of the national bridges, based on the condition and inventory survey done annually.

“Our bridge inspectors make sure that the repair works will be responsive, economical, but at the same time effective,” added Engr. Natividad.

For this year, Eastern Samar DEO has 18 projects of bridge repair with 15 bridges already completed,  three (3) are still ongoing. These are the Nabuangan Bridge in the northern part of the province and the Bolusao Bridge and Giporlos Bridge 1 in the southern municipalities.

Meanwhile, Congresswoman Abunda appreciated the efforts of DPWH Eastern Samar DEO for the initiatives in the maintenance of national bridges.

“I commend DPWH for the prompt action of repair on these national bridges. In addition to maintaining our bridges to withstand calamities, this is a big help to the motoring public,” Abunda said during the inspection.

The representative of Eastern Samar added that these repairs are notable projects because funds may not always become available when unexpected damage occurs.

“Repairing our bridges is important to avoid further damage, and we all know of the inconvenience this brings to the public once a bridge becomes unpassable,” added Abunda.

The Eastern Samar District Engineering Office has a total appropriation of P108 million for the repair and rehabilitation of bridges for the year 2021. (DPWH E. Samar)