The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH-6) will reopen the controversial Ungka Flyover in Pavia, Iloilo to light vehicles.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Sept. 19, DPWH-6 OIC regional director Sanny Boy Oropel assured motorists that the P680-million flyover is “safe” for use.
Last month, DPWH conducted static and dynamic load tests on the flyover and no further defects, according to Oropel, were observed at the structure.
“We can say that there was no vertical movement so to speak, and what we observe and still the same on what we observed since January 2023,” he said.
The four-lane Ungka Flyover has been closed to traffic since September 2022 due to vertical displacement.
Oropel said the interior lane of the flyover will be opened to four-wheeled vehicles, including the traditional and modernized jeepneys with vertical clearance of 2.30 meters.
Motorcycles, bicycles, and tricycles will not be allowed to pass through the flyover.
The OIC regional director, however, clarified that the flyover will be closed again once the central office releases the needed amount for its repair.
DPWH alloted “more or less P200 million” for the repair of the “defective” flyover in its 2024 budget.IMT
