DPWH finds defects in San Jose Bridge

By Juan Escandor Jr. NAGA CITY --- The regional office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has found defects in the construction of the P85-M San Jose Bridge in Pili, Camarines Sur. Lucy Castañeda, spokesperson of DPWH regional office, said that with the defects found, major repair of the bridge will be undertaken after the celebration of the Peñafrancia fiesta in September. Castañeda said the major repair of the San Jose Bridge will include epoxy injection, caulking and installation of carbon fiber sheet with water proofing. She said the regional office is still determining whether or not the repair is still within the warranty period of the contractor NFH Construction & Supply. Castañeda said the DPWH is only doing palliative solution to the defects of the bridge to prevent road accidents to motorists. Last week, the town council of Pili has asked the DPWH to look into the quality of the bridge construction after cracks and holes appeared after the rains. Councilor John Apollo Manaog, chair of the committee on infrastructure of the Pili town council, said they were not able to get right answers from the contractor during the hearing. Manaog said NFH sent an engineer who was not involved in the construction of the bridge. He said they will send a formal letter of complaint to DPWH Secretary Mark Villar to solve the problem. The bridge was directly undertaken by the second engineering district under district engineer Rebecca Roces during the Aquino administration.