A pre-stressed concrete girder (PSCG) bridge in the Philippines collapsed injuring six people last Thursday less than a month after it opened.
A 60m length of the 990m Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge in the north of the archipelago collapsed as a truck loaded with boulders to a gross vehicle weight of 102t passed over it.
Recovery work on the collapsed bridge. Credit: Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) of the Local Government of Cabagan
The landmark bridge consisted of 12 arches and replaced an older concrete structure. The crossing was plagued with structural defects since its initial completion in 2021.The final retrofitting of the new bridge was completed on 1 February this year.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III has called on the senate to hold officials and contractors responsible with an investigation into the country’s bridge collapses. In December, viral footage showed a bridge to the south of the capital Manilla oscillating (link opens in new tab).
