ILOILO City — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has ordered the immediate assessment and repair of the P315-million Buhang Flyover in Barangay Buhang, Jaro district after cracks and falling concrete were discovered, raising concerns over construction quality and public safety just two years after it was opened to traffic.
“You have to fix this,” Secretary Vivencio “Vince” Dizon directed flyover contractor F. Gurrea Construction, Inc. via phone call on Monday, January 19, during an on-site inspection of the Buhang Flyover.
At one point, he asked, “Bakit nagkaganito?” He, however, did not name who he was speaking to.
The two-lane Buhang Flyover is situated at the intersection of the Iloilo Circumferential Road and Iloilo-Capiz Road (new route) in Barangay Buhang, Jaro. It aims to ease traffic congestion in this major intersection, especially during rush hours.
Aside from fixing the damaged portion, Dizon also ordered F. Gurrea Construction, Inc. to conduct a comprehensive check of all segments of the flyover to ensure no similar failures exist elsewhere in the structure.
He further pressed the contractor: “What is the guarantee that it will not happen in the other segments? Kasi right now I’m looking, nasa itaas. Tinitingnan ko ngayon ‘yung ibang portion ng segment na ito. Nagkaka-crack na. You have to check all of these.”
Dizon then asked F. Gurrea Construction, Inc. pointblank, “When you will start repairing this?”
The contractor told the Secretary that repair works will begin after the Dinagyang Festival to avoid traffic disruption, noting that the corrective works could take about a month, depending on the results of the full structural assessment.
“Aayusin daw nila ng mabilis, maybe a month or so lang siguro. Pero pinapa-check ko na rin ang ibang segments baka may failure din,” Dizon said.
The DPWH chief stressed that all repair costs will be shouldered by the contractor, assuring the public that no government funds will be used for the corrective works.
Dizon also said there is no need to close the flyover at this time despite the cracks, but emphasized that he will personally monitor the repair process and require regular reports to ensure a long-term solution, not just cosmetic patching.
“Kasi baka pagtinapalan lang, sira na naman ‘to. Let’s make sure na long-term (solution) ‘yan,” he said.
The Buhang Flyover inspection was not originally included in Dizon’s Iloilo itinerary but was conducted after reports reached him about concrete debris falling from the flyover.
The Buhang Flyover opened to motorists on May 13, 2023. The structure spans 340 linear meters with a width of 10.34 meters.
Construction began in late 2020 and was targeted for completion by the end of 2022, but delays were blamed on weather disturbances that affected the sourcing of quarry materials.
During its opening, then DPWH Region 6 assistant director Jose Al Fruto said the Iloilo City District Engineering Office (ICDEO) would impose regulations to protect the Buhang Flyover, like restricting articulated trucks, more than three-axle vehicles, dump trucks with more than 10 wheels, wing vans, bicycles, tricycles, and motorcycles.
The Buhang Flyover is one of the four flyovers of DPWH in Iloilo City whose constructions started in 2020 – the three others are the Ungka Flyover (in Barangay Ungka, Jaro, Iloilo City and Barangay Ungka 1, Pavia, Iloilo), Aganan Flyover (in Barangay Aganan, Pavia, Iloilo), and Hibao-an Flyover in Mandurriao, Iloilo City.
The four-lane, 453.7 lineal meters long Ungka Flyover suffered vertical displacement two weeks after it opened to traffic in September 2022 and had to be fixed before it was deemed safe enough for public use in December 2024.
The Ungka Flyover’s original cost was P680 million. Due to the repairs, its total cost ballooned to nearly P1 billion.
The P802-million Aganan Flyover’s construction was halted in the late part of 2022 after concerns were raised similar to Ungka Flyover’s. Until now, it remains unfinished.
On the other hand, the P405-million Hibao-an Flyover opened without subsequent hitches in December 2023. The construction of this 480-linear-meter, two-lane flyover, however, was slow. It is intended to improve access to the southern part of Iloilo and the neighboring province of Antique, while alleviating traffic in the Iloilo provincial towns of Pavia and San Miguel, and Mandurriao./PN
