SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) announced on Thursday the start of a bridge construction project this month to replace the Kalaklan bridge that was built by the U.S. Navy in the early ‘60s.
The bridge, one of the existing four bridges linking this freeport to nearby Olongapo City, will be replaced by a new two-lane concrete bridge with covered walkway and a security plaza.
Other facilities to be constructed in the immediate area include a parking lot and an administration building that will also house satellite offices for the SBMA Treasury, SBMA Seaport Department, and the Bureau of Customs.
SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza said the bridge construction project is part of the agency’s efforts to prepare necessary infrastructures for the eventual expansion of the Subic Bay Freeport into nearby areas like Olongapo.
“This is part of the SBMA program to push beyond Subic’s secured area,” Arreza said, referring to the fenced-in portion of the free port that previously housed the Subic Naval Base.
He added that two bridges leading to Olongapo are actually set for replacement after SBMA engineers discovered that they have been “structurally weakened.”
The bridge leading to Subic’s main gate has also been closed to vehicle traffic since last year, he added.
On Tuesday, SBMA project officials met with Olongapo City Mayor James Gordon, Jr., as well as officials of the Metro-Olongapo Chamber of Commerce, Inc. , Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce, Inc., and the Greater Subic Bay Tourism Bureau to discuss details of the project.
Joselito Bakuteza, head of the SBMA Project Management Office, said that “all necessary preparations to minimize the effect of the project to various stakeholders, as well as motorists and commuters, were discussed.”
Bakuteza said the Kalaklan bridge will be closed to all vehicles and pedestrians starting February 15 and March 1, respectively.
The contractor, RD Policarpio and Company, Inc., will close the old span and cordon it off during full-blast construction to fast-track the project and ensure the safety of passersby, he added.
“In our study, an average of 2,500 light vehicles and some 300 pedestrians, mostly workers, pass through the Kalaklan Lighthouse Bridge every day,” Bakuteza said.
This number of vehicles, when rerouted to Olongapo, “will cause temporary heavy traffic in some main roads of the city, as well as inside the Freeport, especially during rush hours,” Bakuteza admitted.
Capt. Benjamin Evia of the SBMA Traffic Branch said that to prevent the build-up of traffic, vehicles and commuters may use the Freeport’s gates at Rizal Street or 14th Street.
Mayor Gordon, meanwhile, announced that Olongapo City will issue some ordinances to minimize traffic problems in the city, including the implementation of a truck ban from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m and 11:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m from Monday to Friday, and the declaration of the busy 14th Street as a tow-away zone.
Arreza said earlier that SBMA’s thrust to extend the physical boundaries of the Subic Bay Freeport seeks to generate more livelihood opportunities for people in the surrounding communities.
He said that in order for the SBMA to carry out its mandate of developing nearby areas, the agency would have to fund various public infrastructures, such as roads.
The bridge, one of the existing four bridges linking this freeport to nearby Olongapo City, will be replaced by a new two-lane concrete bridge with covered walkway and a security plaza.
Other facilities to be constructed in the immediate area include a parking lot and an administration building that will also house satellite offices for the SBMA Treasury, SBMA Seaport Department, and the Bureau of Customs.
SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza said the bridge construction project is part of the agency’s efforts to prepare necessary infrastructures for the eventual expansion of the Subic Bay Freeport into nearby areas like Olongapo.
“This is part of the SBMA program to push beyond Subic’s secured area,” Arreza said, referring to the fenced-in portion of the free port that previously housed the Subic Naval Base.
He added that two bridges leading to Olongapo are actually set for replacement after SBMA engineers discovered that they have been “structurally weakened.”
The bridge leading to Subic’s main gate has also been closed to vehicle traffic since last year, he added.
On Tuesday, SBMA project officials met with Olongapo City Mayor James Gordon, Jr., as well as officials of the Metro-Olongapo Chamber of Commerce, Inc. , Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce, Inc., and the Greater Subic Bay Tourism Bureau to discuss details of the project.
Joselito Bakuteza, head of the SBMA Project Management Office, said that “all necessary preparations to minimize the effect of the project to various stakeholders, as well as motorists and commuters, were discussed.”
Bakuteza said the Kalaklan bridge will be closed to all vehicles and pedestrians starting February 15 and March 1, respectively.
The contractor, RD Policarpio and Company, Inc., will close the old span and cordon it off during full-blast construction to fast-track the project and ensure the safety of passersby, he added.
“In our study, an average of 2,500 light vehicles and some 300 pedestrians, mostly workers, pass through the Kalaklan Lighthouse Bridge every day,” Bakuteza said.
This number of vehicles, when rerouted to Olongapo, “will cause temporary heavy traffic in some main roads of the city, as well as inside the Freeport, especially during rush hours,” Bakuteza admitted.
Capt. Benjamin Evia of the SBMA Traffic Branch said that to prevent the build-up of traffic, vehicles and commuters may use the Freeport’s gates at Rizal Street or 14th Street.
Mayor Gordon, meanwhile, announced that Olongapo City will issue some ordinances to minimize traffic problems in the city, including the implementation of a truck ban from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m and 11:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m from Monday to Friday, and the declaration of the busy 14th Street as a tow-away zone.
Arreza said earlier that SBMA’s thrust to extend the physical boundaries of the Subic Bay Freeport seeks to generate more livelihood opportunities for people in the surrounding communities.
He said that in order for the SBMA to carry out its mandate of developing nearby areas, the agency would have to fund various public infrastructures, such as roads.
