‘NOTHING TO FEAR’: DPWH-6 Allays Fears of Ungka Flyover Collapse After Isabela Bridge Incident

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Department of Public Works and Highways-Western Visayas (DPWH-6) has assured the public that the Ungka flyover is stable and strictly monitored to prevent any risk of collapse, following concerns raised after the recent Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge incident in Isabela.

DPWH-6 regional director Sanny Boy Oropel told the Daily Guardian that the agency is closely monitoring the types of vehicles using the flyover to ensure its safety and avoid scenarios similar to the Isabela bridge collapse.

“We are serious in monitoring the vehicles that will use the flyover. We have identified vehicles that cannot use it,” Oropel said.

The Ungka flyover, which fully reopened to traffic on December 23, 2024, is restricted to certain heavy vehicles, including dump trucks, transit mixers, wing vans, trailer trucks, motorcycles, tricycles, and bicycles.

Oropel explained that trailer trucks are banned not only due to their weight but also because of their length, which makes maneuvering difficult and could cause traffic congestion.

Motorcycles are also restricted for safety reasons, particularly due to improper use of the carriageway.

An overhead gantry with a height limit of 2.3 meters has been installed at the flyover’s entrance to enforce these restrictions.

Ungka Flyover vs. Isabela Bridge

Oropel emphasized that the Ungka flyover cannot be compared to the Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge, which collapsed due to overloading.

“The Ungka flyover cannot be compared to the Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge because the bridge was damaged because of an overloading vehicle,” he said.

The Ungka flyover, a 453-meter, four-lane structure with a bored pile foundation, was initially built at a cost of PHP 680 million. However, its budget later surged to nearly PHP 1 billion due to structural integrity issues that required repairs.

The repairs included a PHP 14 million geotechnical investigation and PHP 295 million for rectification works, such as jet grouting procedures to stabilize the structure.

The DPWH-6 said the decision to reopen the flyover for full four-lane use was based on scientific reviews and positive seismic survey results that confirmed the effectiveness of the jet grouting technique.

Oropel previously noted that the PHP 680 million cost of the flyover was a “very minimal budget” for a four-lane structure.

In contrast, the Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge, a 990-meter, four-lane tied-arch structure, was built for PHP 1.225 billion and underwent retrofitting before reopening on February 1, 2025.

The bridge partially collapsed on February 27, 2025, when a dump truck carrying 102 tons of boulders exceeded its weight limit, causing the failure of a 60-meter span.

The incident resulted in injuries to six individuals, including a child, while the truck driver remains missing.