A
Disaster Waiting to Happen
The Philippine Star
March 11, 2002
THE area in
and around the Alabang viaduct in Muntinlupa City is a beehive of
activity on any given day. You'll see thousands of people - workers,
students, employees, traders and community residents - plying the
area, not to mention the thousands of motorists passing through
as well.
But the Alabang
viaduct is a disaster waiting to happen. If luck runs out, this
35-year old overpass might just collapse because of structural fatigue.
Built by the then Construction Development Corporation of the Philippines
(CDCP), the viaduct has seen better days. Now if you're keen enough
to observe, you can see and feel it wobbling in midspan whenever
trucks and buses pass. You'd feel it may just give way anytime.
It feels eerie, to say the least, to see so many people and motorists
criss-crossing the structure and not at all be aware that anytime,
it may collapse on them.
Undoubtedly
the Alabang viaduct needs rehabilitation - or at least strengthening
if only to avoid a disaster. It's like a ticking time bomb about
to explode anytime. Needless to say, hundreds could die and thousand
may get hurt. In addition, there will be pandemonium as the south
of Luzon is cut off from Metro Manila via a major link. Trade lanes
will be diverted to the unsuitable peripheral roads of Cavite, and
with commuters also forced to use these same routes, travel to the
metropolis becomes a painful chore.
A collapse of
the Alabang viaduct will also affect the economic and social lives
of the people in the struggling regions of south Luzon. The flow
of essential goods to and from Metro Manila will be severely impaired,
and the alternative use of other land and water alternatives will
not suffice. During that period, the costs of goods would shoot
up from higher transport costs of using the alternative, congested
roads. Property development in Laguna would be dampened and many
factories in the Calabarzon area may experience severe financial
losses from delays in delivering products to Metro Manila.
Government not moving
Despite such
grim scenario, the government - particularly the Department of Public
Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Philippine National Construction
Corp. (PNCC) which maintains the South Luzon Expressway - appears
unperturbed. A temporary solution - banning the passage of heavy
trucks in the viaduct - has not really addressed the problem. At
best, it only could extend the life of the viaduct.
Meanwhile, the
detour of banned trucks is also causing another problem. Monstrous
traffic jams in the Alabang market area - to the consternation of
residents and other motorists - are now almost an everyday occurrence.
No wonder the Muntinlupa municipal government continues to grumble
against the PNCC.
The solution,
which many agree, is to rehabilitate the Alabang viaduct. In fact,
PNCC engineers, fully aware of the dangers posed by the weakened
viaduct, had conducted a detailed study during the term of President
Fidel Ramos in the 1990s on how to rehabilitate the structure.
So why aren't
they implementing it?
Problem
of Lack of Money
The answer is
MONEY, or the lack of it. One estimate puts the cost of rehabilitating
the viaduct at P280 million, a substantial amount, but definitely
a small once considering the number of lives and limbs that could
be saved.
Unfortunately
PNCC does not have that kind of money to finance the rehabilitation
of the viaduct. They initially thought of raising toll rates, but
they abandoned the idea, fearing road users' protests. The public
ire that resulted when they hiked fees a few months back still rankled
in their minds.
Yes, it's a
political issue. But a decision needs to be made. Road users may
not be too happy with an increase (again) in toll rates but there
is no denying that the viaduct needs to be rehabilitated if a national
disaster is to be averted. Perhaps, through creative publicity,
road users may be made to understand and become more sympathetic
to increasing toll rates.
Thinking out
of the box may also be a clue. Find other acceptable means of raising
the money. Call out for suggestions. Get the public involved. This
is, after all, not just the DPWH's or PNCC's problem alone. It is
everyone's concern. You can never underestimate what solutions could
be perculated by everyone just putting on the thinking cap.
As an interim
measure, PNCC should continue taking steps - no matter how small
- towards reinforcing the existing viaduct. Similarly, the government
should act now to avert an unwanted disaster. If money cannot be
raised through the tollgates, perhaps Congress should take the initiative
to make appropriations in the budget so that viaduct rehabilitation
becomes a reality.
Alternative
Roadway System
Even if the
rehabilitation of the Alabang viaduct becomes possible, DPWH should
already plan for the construction or the improvement of an alternative
roadway system linking south Luzon from Metro Manila. One possible
solution would be to build an elevated highway along the Laguna
de Bay lakeshore that would connect Biñan to Antipolo. The
cost of building such structure could be compensated from the recovery
of certain shoreline land along the route.
From Biñan,
a new highway could be built westward all the way to Cavite, interconnecting
with the South Luzon Expressway and the existing Cavite highways.
At the Antipolo end, the highway can be extended northward and interconnected
with the North Luzon Expressway in Bulacan, providing interchanges
to existing highways linking Metro Manila area. This huge ring,
which could be known as the C6 Road, should satisfy the urgent demand
for new access roads to Metro Manila area in the next half century.
Whatever the
solution, the government should move fast. It's really a race against
time, a race to beat a disaster waiting to happen.
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