ILOILO City – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Western Visayas assured motorists that the controversial Ungka Flyover in Barangay Ungka II, Pavia, Iloilo remains safe for use after engineers conducted an inspection following a magnitude 4.8 earthquake that recently struck the area.
DPWH-6 regional director Engr. Denise Maria Ayag said engineers immediately inspected major infrastructures in the region after the tremor, including the Ungka Flyover, and found no additional structural damage.
Ayag acknowledged that it is natural for motorists to feel worried during earthquakes, especially when passing through elevated structures such as flyovers, noting that authorities understand why some drivers chose not to use the flyover immediately after the tremor.
“Lahat naman tayo during earthquakes ay talagang mababahala eh,” he added.
Concerns about the safety of the Ungka Flyover tend to resurface whenever earthquakes occur, largely due to the structure’s troubled history after it was closed following the discovery of vertical displacement in several portions of the flyover.
The four-lane, 453.7-lineal-meter flyover began construction in January 2020 and was opened to traffic in the first week of September 2022, but it was shut down just two weeks later after engineers discovered vertical displacement or subsidence in the structure.
It was built with a P680-million budget.
The government later hired a third-party consultant, Abinales Associates Engineers + Consultants, for P15 million to conduct a geotechnical investigation to determine the cause of the subsidence.
The consultant recommended jet grouting on the flyover’s piers until they reach hard strata to stabilize the structure.
Under Phase 1 of the rectification works, the government awarded a P95-million contract to Monolithic Construction & Concrete Products, Inc. based in Davao City.
Phase 2 of the rectification involved a P200-million fund for jet grouting of the remaining piers and the installation of geofoam in portions of the flyover affected by subsidence.
International Builders Corporation (IBC), which also built the original P680-million flyover, handled the Phase 2 rectification works.
In total, the government spent about P990 million to fully rehabilitate and reopen the Ungka Flyover to full capacity in December 2024./PN
