P680-M Ungka Flyover to remain closed this December

The P680-million flyover in Barangay Ungka II, Pavia, Iloilo will remain closed to traffic this December.

In a letter to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH-6) said it would no longer be able to meet its target.

The target was to reopen the newly built Ungka Flyover by early this month. The national project was undertaken by the Iloilo-based contractor International Builders Corp. (IBC).

Iloilo Fourth District Board Member Rolly Distura, chairman of the SP’s infratructure committee, said he was dismayed by the “unreasonable delay” in the reopening of the flyover.

The four-lane flyover was temporarily closed nearly two weeks after it was opened to traffic on Sept. 5.

The temporay closure was due to vertical displacements or shifting observed in the flyover’s three piers or support structures that extend to the ground below.

In a report by the Philippine News Agency, DPWH assistant regional director Jose Al Fruto said they are still waiting for the recommendation of their consultant from the central office on the needed structural repair of the flyover.IMT